Lohri ਲੋਹੜੀ

Calculated for Amritsar. SGPC and government announcements take precedence.

How the date is fixed

Lohri is celebrated on the eve of Maghi, the day the Sun enters sidereal Capricorn (Makar Sankranti). That places it on 13 January in most years. When the Sun's entry shifts late, Lohri can fall on 14 January.

The bonfire

After sunset, families and neighbours gather around a fire in the courtyard or street. They throw til (sesame), gur (jaggery), rewri, gachak, popcorn and peanuts into the flames, then share the rest. People walk around the fire and sing, and bhangra and giddha go on late into the night.

Songs and Dulla Bhatti

Children go from house to house singing Lohri songs and collecting sweets or money. The best-known song, "Sundar mundriye", remembers Dulla Bhatti. He was a Punjabi hero of Akbar's time who, the story goes, rescued girls from being sold and arranged their marriages.

First Lohri

A family's first Lohri after a wedding or the birth of a child is celebrated on a bigger scale, with relatives invited and gifts given. Many families now celebrate a daughter's first Lohri with the same joy once reserved for sons.

Food

Sarson da saag and makki di roti, gur, til laddoos and rewri are the classic Lohri foods. Many homes eat rau di kheer (rice cooked in sugarcane juice) the next morning, on Maghi.

Questions