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The history, origin and significance of Lohri — where it comes from, what it means, and how it changed over time.
Lohri 2026: 13 January 20261 dayलोहड़ी
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Lohri is a Punjabi harvest festival celebrated on the night before Makar Sankranti, on 13 January in 2026. It marks the end of the winter solstice period and the beginning of the longer days, and it is the day the new harvest and the new financial year were traditionally acknowledged in Punjab.
The festival is built entirely around a bonfire. Families and neighbourhoods gather around a fire, throw in til (sesame), gur (jaggery), rewri, gajak, popcorn and puffed rice, and circle it. Children go from house to house singing the traditional Lohri songs and collecting sweets and money, in a form that closely parallels trick-or-treating.
Lohri has a specific social function in Punjab: it is the festival at which the birth of a child, and particularly a son, was traditionally announced and celebrated with songs. That gendered element is now widely criticised and substantially changed, and many families now celebrate the birth of a daughter at Lohri as well. The festival is also a major occasion for recently married couples.
Sarson da saag and makki di roti, with a large amount of ghee and jaggery, is the standard Lohri meal. The festival is also celebrated in Himachal Pradesh and in Delhi's Punjabi community, and among Punjabi communities abroad with community bonfires.
Almost every large Indian festival means something different in different states. That is not a contradiction — it is the history.
The origin. Community bonfires in every mohalla, children's Lohri songs house to house, saag and makki di roti for dinner, and bhanga and gidda around the fire until late.
Celebrated with bonfires and local fairs, particularly in the lower hills. Children collect sweets in the same way as in Punjab.
Observed widely by Punjabi and Haryanvi communities, with society-level bonfires in housing colonies and the same songs and sweets.
Lohri is a major community event abroad, with large public bonfires organised by Punjabi associations, particularly in Surrey, Toronto, Melbourne and Southall.
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