Lohri Festival in India

Lohri is a famous festival in northern India. Lohri - the popular festival of fire in northern India celebrates 13th January each year. As the date of Lohri is decided according to the position of the sun is a fixed date. Lohri marks the coldest day of winter. The people of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi continue to happily dance around the sacred fires. Lohri Festival will provide some relief to the people, because it ends with a tough winter season. Can be traced back to the story of the origin of Lohri Dulla Bhatti. By the end of first week of January, small groups of boys ring the doorbell and the houses started chanting songs of Lohri Dulla Bhatti. In turn, people give them popcorn, peanuts, crystal sugar, sesame seeds or Gur as well as money. Turning them back empty-handed is considered inauspicious. Lohri Paush ends on the last day in the winter and the beginning of Magha (around January 12 and 13), when the sun changes its course. It is associated with sun worship and the fire has been observed in all communities, with different names, such as the festival of Lohri is the only Punjabi. Questions such as when it started and why it disappeared mists of antiquity.

The home is connected to the central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti, Muslim highway robber who lived in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. In addition to robbing the rich, he rescued Hindu girls forcibly taken to be sold in a slave market in the Middle East. He organized the rituals of Hindu marriages, Hindu boys and provided them with dowries. Understandably, though a bandit, he became the hero of all Punjabis. So every second Lohri song words to express gratitude Dulla Bhatti.

Some believe that Lohri has derived its name Loi, Sant Kabir woman, for in rural Punjab Lohri is pronounced like the salmon. Others believe that Lohri comes from the word "LOH" thick iron sheet tawa used for baking chapattis the party. Another celebrity says that Holika and Lohri were sisters. While the former perished in the Holi fire, the latter survived. Eating til (sesame seeds) and rorhi (jaggery) is considered important to this day. Perhaps the words til rorhi merger and becoming tilorhi, which eventually became shortened to Lohri, Ceremonies to go with the festival of Lohri usually involves a small image to Lohri goddess with gobar (cattle dung), decorating it, kindling a fire beneath it and chanting its praises. Graduation ceremony is a great light a bonfire at sunset, toss sesame seeds, Gur, Sugar-candy, and rewaries it, sit around, sing, dance until the fire dies out. People take dying embers of fire to their homes. In a Punjabi village homes, fire is kept going around the clock to use cow-dung cakes.
While celebrate Lohri, all family members light a fire and sit around. The festival begins when all family members form a circle around the fire and start revolving around it. This revolving around the members of the fire is known as "Agni Ke Phere". Though they move murmur specific mantra known as the "Gayatri Mantra". Each round they offered a mixture of 5 edible items. As each round is finished, they put a mixture of fire, to say out loud "Swaha", while not forgetting. This sacrifice is known as "Aahuti". This process is repeated 7 times. After doing this ritual, the children dance around the fire and sing and play with each other. Since the weather is rather cold this season and everyone enjoys.

The tale of Dulla Bhatti (ਦੁੱਲਾ ਭੱਟੀ)
Sundri Mundri Hei! Hoi!
Tera Kaun Bechara! Hoi!
Dullah Bhatti wala! Hoi!
Dullah Di Dhi viyahi ! Hoi !
Sher ShaKar pai! Hoi!
Kuri de Mamme aaye! Hoi!
UnaNe ChuRi Kuti! Hoi!
Jimidari Lutti! Hoi!
Ik kola GhuT Gaya!
Jimidar Apni......

Family members sit together around the fire and they would sing, talk and have fun, enjoying the taste of a mixture that is left after the sacrifice of the fire. The remaining stuff is known as "prasad" and to be treated with respect, considering it as the fruit of God (Agni Deva). In Punjabi Lohri is an important festival for families and people can celebrate. Indian Act and the religious culture of marriage shall be considered as a newly wedded wife is expected blessing from God. Taking this into account all the family members who are related to newly wedded couples throwing a huge party to celebrate Lohri. Guests are invited to dinner, and arranged properly. After celebrating Lohri, ie, after the "Agni Ke Phere" and "Aahuti", all visitors to the newly wedded couples in their blessings and good wishes with gifts that they bring couples. Children sing and dance around the fire, and everyone enjoys the evening. Lohri Tradition of the relatively old, but even today it is celebrated with the same admiration and enthusiasm of all the Punjabi families throughout the world. During the season, when the festival is produced in the winter and cooled environment.

So everyone likes to sit near the fire. It makes them feel welcome and comfortable.