In Northern India when the crops are harvested they celebrate the cropping and harvesting season which is also known as Lohri. The abbreviation of Lohri pronounced as (Lori) is basically said in three words L means wood, O means dumpling and Di means dry fruits (Rewari) however the literal meaning of this abbreviation will be then L means wood, O means cow, and Di means dry fruits (Rewari). It is a way of acknowledging the change of seasons and saying thank you to God by blessing humans to see the transition in the change of the seasons and agricultural production throughout the world. Every year by the 13th of January everyone welcomes the Magh month with a great celebration across the country and different parts of the world. This festival is traditionally the biggest festival that is celebrated by our farmer families and is just celebrated before Makar Sankranti. Astrology Advice
Culture and its Variations in Lohri
Every culture has different perspectives in the celebration like in Sikhism; Lohri is the festival to congratulate the newly married couples and the babies. In Sindhi culture, it is also celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti which is said as Lal Lohi.
History about Lohri
The Lohri was not the real name of the festival as earlier it was said as Tilodi. Lohri is formally associated with the religious faith and acknowledges the change in seasons throughout the country. On the evening of Lohri, all the people of the village or the locality gather at one place to light a bonfire and offer things like jaggery, maize, sesame, and puffed rice in the bonfire to please the fire god. The people who gathered across the bonfire also dance and sing around it in a circle. The people had an auspicious time in celebrating the festival Lohri and worship the fire god to take the blessings prosperity and happiness. Chat with Astrologer
Why the festival is said Tilodi?
As in Lohri people offer sesame seeds in the fire and the Hindi translation of Sesame seeds are Til so from here it is said as Tilodi. There is also a religious point of view as sesame has a special significance as per the Garuda Purana, sesame is originated from the body of Lord Vishnu that is the reason why it is used for all the religious activities. However, as per science, it has other benefits also as per the traditional study of medicine Ayurveda putting sesame seeds in the fire eliminates many infections in the environment and circumambulates the body speeds up. This is the reason why sesame seeds (Til) are also used for religious activities like Havan and Yagya etc.
Why it is famous in Punjab?
The story of Dulla Bhatti is also associated with Lohri in Punjab as in their festival they dance in front of the bonfire and do the bhangra and during the Bhangra they sing songs and praise of Dulla Bhatti. They praise him because he used to help the needy and the poor people. Once said that Dulla Bhatti saved two orphaned girls from his uncle who sold them to the landowners. He took the charge of the two sisters and settled them down in life so on the occasion of Lohri Dulla Bhatti made them married a well-settled boy and in return bid a farewell by giving both of them two-fifty grams of sugar as a return. This is also the reason why people mostly celebrate this festival. As Lohri is marked as the New Year for the farmers of Punjab so on this day they mark the crops as their god and show their gratitude by praying and thanking the Lord Agni to bless their land with lots of abundances. By moving in the circle and doing the Parikrama they offer the dry fruit (Revadiya) with the chanting “Aadar aye diladar jaye” which means the glory of privilege comes and the poverty fades away. In this festival, the newlywed couples wear new jewelry and the newborn babies hold a comb as a part of the ritual.
When is the right time for Lohri 2022?
After 5 o'clock in the evening, Rohini Nakshatra will begin so the best time for the Lohri Burning will begin at 5:43 minutes or sage 7: 25 minutes. Talk to Astrologer
