Lohri 2024 falls on Sunday, 14th of January. Lohri is also known Lal Loi. It is celebrated only once a year.
Lohri is a popular festival in the region around Punjab and marks the passing of Winter Solstice. Hindus, Sikhs as well as Muslims in Punjab, the Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana celebrate the festival of Lohri with great enthusiasm.
Sindhi name of Lohri is Lal Loi and is celebrated by this name is some parts of the country as well. Lohri is celebrated one day before the festival of Makar Sankranti and falls in the month of January on the same date almost every year. Important details related to Lohri 2024 such as how to celebrate it, what’s the significance of this day, etc can be found here in this article.
Lohri Festival 2024 Overview
| Festival | Lohri |
| Also known as | Lal Loi |
| Lohri 2024 Date | 14th of January |
| 2025 Date | 13th January 2025 |
| 2026 Date | 13th January 2026 |
Lohri 2024 Calendar
Lohri is celebrated according to the lunisolar Vikrami calendar and typically falls about the same date every year.
In the year 2024, Lohri will be celebrated on Sunday, 14th January. The festival is celebrated a night before Makar Sankranti.
Significance of Lohri
Lohri marks the end of winter and the beginning of longer days and welcome the sun on its journey to the northern hemisphere. It also marks the resting period for the farmers and they celebrate the crops grown in the winter season.
Lohri also welcomes the new financial year for the farmers. Other than this, the hindu festival of Lohri gives important message of people being united and rejoicing every moment like they are celebrating Lohri with their friends and families.
Celebration
Lohri festival is celebrated with complete enthusiasm, mostly among the people of Punjab. Lighting a bonfire is the main attraction of this festival. People light a bonfire and throw in it edible items made of sugarcane such as gurh and gachak as an offering made to the Lord of Fire, they sing and dance around this bonfire as a part of Lohri celebration.
The people prepare tasty Punjabi dishes including Gajak, Sarson da saag, Makki di roti, and eat them with ground nuts, radish and jaggery. Eating til rice on the day of Lohri is a famous practice and is served in the name of dish known as Tilcholi prepared by mixing jaggery, sesame seeds and puffed rice.
Other than lighting a bonfire and dancing and eating around it, traditions like Chajja making (replica of peacock carried by children as they visit each other’s house on Lohri), Hiran Dance and preparing Lohri garlands are also quite famous. Special Hiran Dance is performed in regions around Jammu to celebrate the festival of Lohri. In various places in Punjab, teenage boys and girls create a group and roam in the neighborhood collecting logs for the Lohri bonfire. They also collect items like grains and jaggery. These items are sold and the proceedings of the sale are divided amongst the group.
On Lohri, children dress up and go from doors to doors singing Lohri songs and are given sweets and candies. This is also called as trick or treating and is practiced in different parts of Punjab. At night, everyone gathers near the bonfire and sing many Lohri songs. One famous Lohri song is the one that is sung in praise of Dulla Bhatti, a man who lived in Punjab and who was famously known for his deed like robbing the rich and serving the poor. He also rescued poor Punjabi girls who were forcibly taken to be sold in slave market.
Is there a holiday on Lohri?
Lohri is an official holiday in the states of Punjab, the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The festival of Lohri is celebrated in the states of Delhi and Haryana as well but it is not a Gazetted holiday in these states.
As such, no compulsory holiday is observed in these sates on the occasion of Lohri.
Festivals Similar to Lohri
Lohri is a harvest festival that is celebrated mainly in the state of Punjab. Other states too celebrate the festival of harvest but they are known as different names in the different parts of the country. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Similarly, there is Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh, Bhugali Bihu in Assam and Sankaranti in central India. Although the tradition and celebration may vary for these festivals but their purpose and meaning are the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lohri in 2024 falls on 14th January.
It is celebrated by Hindu and Sikh both.
It is an official holiday in the states of Punjab, the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Primarily in Haryana and Punjab
