The auspicious festival of Lohri is celebrated with great enthusiasm and pomp, especially by the Hindu and Sikh communities in Haryana and Punjab. Also known as Lohadi or Lal Loi, Lohri is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti. To celebrate this festival, individuals follow the tradition of lighting a bonfire either outside their homes or in an open area, using wood and cow dung cakes.
As part of the ritual, offerings such as sesame seeds, jaggery, gajak, rewdi and peanuts are offered to the blazing fire while participants perform parikrama around it. The day also marks the harvesting of crops, the produce of which is used to prepare bhog offerings which are reverently offered to the fire.
Lohri 2024 on January 13 or January 14?
This year, there seems to be uncertainty surrounding the precise date for the celebration of Lohri 2024, with confusion arising over whether it should be observed on January 13 or 14. As per Drik Panchang, Lohri 2024 is slated to be celebrated on Sunday, January 14, 2024. This implies that Makar Sankranti, a related festival, is expected to occur on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Lohri 2024 puja timings
According to Drik Panchang, the puja timings for this year’s Lohri festival are as follows:
Tritiya tithi upto 07:59 AM, January 14
Chaturthi tithi up to 04:59 AM, January 15
Brahma Muhurta: 05:27 AM to 06:21 AM
Abhijit Muhurta: 12:09 PM to 12:51 PM
Why is Lohri celebrated?
Lohri is a unique celebration related to the planting and gathering of harvests. After Makar Sankranti, which falls a day after Lohri, it also heralds the arrival of warmer weather as the days get longer and the nights get shorter. A similar idea is addressed by the huge fire lit during the celebration festivities.
On the event of Lohri 2024, individuals offer supplications to the Sun God (Surya Devta) and Fire God (Agni Devta), love the new yield, get a fire going external their homes, and make want for a plentiful reap for the following year.