Timeless Tales | Lohri: From bonfires to belief
How a winter festival of warmth, food and family has also come to mean letting go and offering the self.
Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, but Lohri and Makar Sankranti are aligned with the solar calendar. That is why they fall around January 13 to 15 each year. (credit: pixabay) India’s festivals are rooted in religion and tradition, but they are also about food, fun and shared joy with family and friends. Some are celebrated within homes, others with the wider community. Lohri, essentially a festival of north India, belongs firmly to the latter.
Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, but Lohri and Makar Sankranti are aligned with the solar calendar. That is why they fall around January 13 to 15 each year.
Winter in northern India is cold and foggy, and Lohri arrives at its peak. The festival is marked by community gatherings around a bonfire. Street vendors sell hot, sand-roasted peanuts and popcorn. Gachak and revadi begin appearing in markets weeks in advance. Made of gur, til and peanuts, these treats are believed to warm the body. Maroonda, prepared from puffed rice and gur, is considered a lighter alternative. Today, gachak has acquired gourmet twists, made with roasted chana, moong dal, popcorn, flax seeds and even makhanas.
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