Lohri

Lohri marks the end of the winter solstice and the harvest of the Rabi crops. A festival that is considered by many to be as old as the Indus civilization, it marks the onset of spring and a new year. 

This prominent harvest festival of Northern India, Lohri is celebrated with great pomp by the Sikh and Hindu communities. The celebrations entail people decking themselves up in colourful traditional attire, singing and dancing around the bonfire, welcoming the longer days of warmer temperature, feasting on the harvest of the Rabi crops and gorging on the delicious Lohri Thaali.

Foodism brings you an all-encompassing overview of this harvest festival. 

The Meaning of Lohri

The word Lohri owes its origin to the term ‘loh‘, which means a big iron griddle or tava, used for making chapattis for community feasts. Folklore also attributes Lohri to ‘Loi’ - the wife of reformer Kabir Das. 

A History

Like most festivals, local legends and folklore has become an integral part of the Lohri celebrations. One of the most famous tales around the festival can be traced back to Dulla Bhatti. A gracious robber, Dulla Bhatti used to steal from the rich and give to poor, earning him the love and faith of the populace. The then Mughal Emperor Akbar, had Dulla Bhatti put to death making him a martyr in the eyes of the people. 

Significance of the Festival 

The festival came to celebrate the coldest night of the year, and was usually celebrated the night before the Winter Solstice. To ward off the cold, the bonfire became a fixture for all Lohri celebrations. It marks a whole agrarian race giving their thanks to the earth and the sun. In Punjab, the most fertile belt of India, the harvesting of sugar cane is celebrated thorough this festival. Sesame seeds, jaggery, radish, mustard and spinach are harvested during this season, and they are the primary attractions of the festivity. People make sweets like - revadi and gajak; and staples such as - Sarson Ka Saag with Makke Ki roti. 

As the festival marks fertility the first Lohri is considered very auspicious for a new bride and a new born baby.

Lohri – Customs and Traditions

Just before the festival, usually around two to three days before it, young children go from house to house singing songs in praise of different dieties, and of course, Dulla Bhatti. These children also ask for sweets, sugar, sesame seeds, jaggery and cow dung cakes. As soon as the sun begins to dip below the horizon people assemble in open spaces to light the customary bonfires. These are fuelled with cow-dung cakes, logs and sugarcane. 

In keeping with the traditions of harvest festivals, those gathered offer their thanks to the sun god and mother earth, through their metaphors, that are the verdant fields around them and the bonfire in front of them. They chant the names of various gods and goddesses as they make circle the bonfire. 

The children who have collected offerings through the day give it unto the fire while some of it, especially the food items, are distributed as Prasad. The prayer for this festival is prosperity and health, giving thanks for harvest and praying for a good year ahead. This festival is marked with enthusiastic dances staple to Punjab like Bhangra and Gidda before concluding with the lavish traditional Lohri feast. 

Lohri Thaali

The Thaali prepared for Lohri comprises of – 

• Sarson da Saag - Mustard greens and spinach cooked in onion tomato gravy with fresh green garlic, laced with pure ghee
• Pindi Cholle - Chickpeas prepared with tangy spices 
• Makke ki Roti – A flatbread made with freshly ground corn, jazzed up with grated radish, radish leaves, coriander leaves, and green chillies
• Dahi Balle - Dumplings made with Urad daal and dunked into creamy yogurt, spiced with yellow chilly and roasted cumin powder 
• Corn Palak Ki Tikki - Shallow-fried, delicious tikkis made from paneer, corn, potatoes, spinach and a dash of spices
• Salad - Onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, radish, and green chillies
• Gur Ka Halwa – Sweet dish prepared from Suji and jaggery 
• Gajar ka Halwa – Sweet dish prepared from red carrots 
• Murmure Ke Ladoo - Rice puffs rolled with jaggery into balls 
• Aate Ke Ladoo - Roasted wheat flour and almonds laced with ghee and edible gum
• Til Ki Chikki - Sesame seed and jaggery brittle with a hint of cardamoms
• Peanut Chikki - Roasted peanuts and jaggery brittle 
• Gobhi Ke Pakode - Cauliflower florets spiced and dipped into gram flour batter, fried to a crispy golden munch 

Lohri – A Scientific Perspective

The festival falls in the fierce winter season when the vata (air) and kapha (ether) levels escalate in the body. Ayurveda recommends that people consume sesame and jaggery preparations during this time to keep the body warm and enable them to face the cold winter. 

Recipe - Corn Palak Ki Tikki

This is a yummy, filling and healthy evening snack and the best way to tempt kids into eating spinach and corn. 

Ingredients:

Corn Kernels - 200 Grams

Milk – 2-3 Cups 

Lemon Juice – 2 Teaspoons 

Chaat Masala – 1 Teaspoon

Spinach - 800 Grams

Potato (boiled) – 1 Cup

Paneer (grated) – 1 Cup

Red Chilli Powder – 1 Teaspoon 

Black Pepper Powder – 1 Teaspoon 

Garam Masala Powder – 1 Teaspoon 

Cumin Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Kasoori Methi Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Salt - 1 Teaspoon

Ginger (chopped) - 1 Teaspoon 

Green Chilli (chopped) – 2 

Green Coriander Leaves (chopped) – Half Cup 

Corn Flour - 1 Tablespoon 

Clarified Butter (ghee) or Oil (to shallow fry) – Half Cup

Method:

• Blanch spinach in water and chop
• Then blanch corn in milk to soften it; and grind and keep aside for a while
• Take the ground corn and mix in lemon juice along with chaat masala to balance the sweet flavour of corn
• Add the blanched spinach, boiled potato and grated paneer to mix with corn
• Then add all the spices in the ingredients along with the salt, ginger, corn flour and chopped coriander leaves; and mix it well to prepare the tikki paste
• Make round tikkis of the mixture and shallow fry in clarified butter (ghee) or oil till crisp
• Serve hot along with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup

Like all festivals, Lohri too is celebrated around the country under various names. In western India it becomes Makar Sankranti, in Kerala it becomes Pongal, in Tamil Nadu it becomes Tai Pongal, and in Assam it becomes Magha Bihu. Despite the many versions that Lohri is celebrated, nothing changes the fact that it is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the country.