Mon Jan 13 02:43:10 UTC 2025: ## Lohri 2025: Harvest Festival Celebrated with Bonfires and Storytelling

**NEW DELHI** – Lohri, a major harvest festival in North India, will be celebrated with enthusiasm on January 13th, 2025. Primarily observed in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, Lohri marks the end of the harvesting season and the beginning of the planting season for the Rabi crops.

Celebrations involve building bonfires, dancing to the rhythmic beats of Gidda (a popular Punjabi folk dance), and offering sweets like gur (jaggery), til (sesame seeds), rewari (a brittle sweet), and gajak to the fire. Participants also share til laddoos (sesame seed balls) and exchange Lohri greetings. The bonfire symbolizes gratitude to the sun god and Agni (the god of fire) for a bountiful harvest, while farmers pray for prosperous upcoming crops.

A key part of the Lohri tradition is the storytelling of Dulla Bhatti, a folk hero. Legend portrays Dulla Bhatti as a Robin Hood-like figure who rescued girls from being sold during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. This tale is considered integral to the Lohri celebrations, emphasizing the festival’s themes of social justice and community.

To celebrate Lohri, families gather firewood, build a bonfire in the evening, circumambulate the fire seven or eleven times, and offer sweets like gajak, rewari, and roasted corn. The prasad (holy offerings) is then distributed among everyone present.

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