On the 13th day of every January, Lohri is celebrated to mark the end of the coldest period of winter in Northern India. From this day onwards, the sun stays a bit longer in the sky, warming the ground enough that some new crops are sown. Although it is celebrated in many parts of India, but it is especially popular in Punjab. The festival is also considered a harvest festival because this is the time when Rabi crops, such as sugarcane, are harvested in Northern India. Since most farmers in Punjab are Sikhs, the festival rose in significance within Sikhism.

It is said that Lohri is celebrated to remember Dula Bhatti. He was the king of a tribe who revolted against the Mughal king. He used to take wealth from the corrupt and distribute it amongst the poor. It is said that he once rescued a small girl who was forcibly taken and adopted her as his own daughter. His acts of kindness raised his profile among the Punjabi people, who began to adore him. Many Lohri songs sing praises of him, such as the one below:

“Sunder mundriye ho! Tera kaun vicaharaa ho! Dullah bhatti walla ho! Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho! Ser shakkar payee ho!”

Celebration of Lohri and bonfire is an integral part of Punjabi culture. Usually, in village squares and public spaces, people lit a huge bonfire and everyone gathers around it to sing folk songs and dance. Children go from house to house to gather treats. At some places, there is even a tradition of gathering firewood from all the houses in the village and they use it to make bonfire. Food has a special place in the festival too. Usually, peanuts and ‘revadian’(sweets) are a favourite of people to munch as they sit around the fire. ‘Rau di kheer’ (a dessert made of sugarcane juice and rice) is also served. It is moment for the entire community to come together and celebrate that passage of harsh period of winter and the hope of incoming spring.