What is Lohri?
Lohri is a winter festival celebrated mainly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu on the night before Makar Sankranti. It marks the end of the coldest days of winter and celebrates the sugarcane harvest and the growing rabi crops.
Around the bonfire
In the evening, families and neighbours gather around a large bonfire. They offer rewri, gajak, peanuts, popcorn and til into the fire, walk around it and pray for prosperity, then sing and dance the bhangra and gidda to the beat of the dhol.
Songs of Dulla Bhatti
Children go from house to house singing folk songs such as "Sunder Mundriye", which tells the story of Dulla Bhatti, a Punjabi hero who protected young girls. Lohri is especially big for families celebrating a newborn's or a newly married couple's first Lohri.