🔥 Lohri Puja Vidhi — step by step
Lohri is less a puja than a community rite — in the evening, after sunset.
How to do Lohri — the steps
- In the day children go door to door asking for Lohri — singing to collect rewri, peanuts, jaggery and coins (abroad, within the apartment block or community).
- After sunset light a bonfire of wood and dung-cakes in an open space (abroad, check permits and fire-pit rules).
- Everyone circles the fire together; offer rewri, peanuts, popcorn, sesame and jaggery into the flames saying 'aadar aaye, daliddar jaaye'.
- The newly-wed couple / the parents of the newborn lead the circling; take the elders' blessings and share the shagun (a plate of rewri and peanuts).
- Bhangra and giddha to the dhol, the Sundar-Mundriye songs; then sarson ka saag, makki ki roti and kheer/khichdi with everyone.
- Next morning is Makar Sankranti — sesame-jaggery, khichdi and the bath and charity complete the festival.
Puja samagri checklist
Items for the bonfire and the shagun —
- Dry wood, dung-cakes (or a fire-pit/logs abroad)
- Rewri, gajak, peanuts, popcorn, sesame, jaggery
- A shagun plate — to share rewri and peanuts
- Pieces of sugarcane / sugarcane juice (traditional)
- A dhol (or music), new clothes — especially for a first Lohri
- For dinner: mustard greens, maize flour, milk and rice (kheer)
Rewri-peanuts, sarson ka saag and kheer
Sesame, jaggery, rewri, peanuts and popcorn are offered to the fire; dinner is sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, jaggery kheer or moong-rice khichdi; kheer made with sugarcane juice is a tradition in many homes.
- Rewri, gajak, sesame-jaggery laddoos
- Peanuts and popcorn
- Sarson ka saag, makki ki roti, white butter
- Sugarcane-juice kheer / jaggery khichdi
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Build the fire in an open, safe place; keep water/sand near
- Share rewri and peanuts with all — neighbours, colleagues, helpers
- Celebrate a first Lohri for a daughter as grandly as for a son
- Take the elders' blessings; tell the children the tale of Dulla Bhatti
- Abroad, respect fire-pit/barbecue permits and smoke rules
❌ Don't
- No plastic, coloured paper or fireworks in the fire
- Never leave children alone near the fire; mind loose dupattas and woollens
- No bonfire near dry leaves or grass (fines abroad)
- No contest of show — the spirit is shared joy
- No games with fire under alcohol — accidents every year come from this
Vrat katha
In the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar there was a rebel hero in Punjab named Dulla Bhatti — who took from the rich and gave to the poor. In those days girls of poor homes were seized and sold; Dulla rescued two sisters… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is Lohri in {Y}?
The date at the top is the day before Makar Sankranti for your city — Lohri is always kept on the eve of Sankranti (usually 13 January); the bonfire is lit after sunset.
How are Lohri and Makar Sankranti related?
Lohri is the last day of Paush and the next morning the sun enters Makara — Makar Sankranti/Maghi. One night of fire, the next day of bath, charity and sesame-jaggery.
What is a 'first Lohri'?
The first Lohri after a marriage or after a baby's birth — the community holds a big celebration at that home, the couple/baby lead the circling and shagun is shared. Today a daughter's first Lohri is celebrated with equal fanfare.
Is Lohri only a Punjabi festival?
Originally of Punjab-Haryana, but now kept across north India and in diaspora communities; the same day is Bhogi in Tamil Nadu and the eve of Magh Bihu in Assam.
How do we make a bonfire abroad?
In a backyard fire-pit or at a community hall/gurdwara event; many cities need a permit for an open fire — check local rules. Without a fire, a symbolic offering with candles/lamps is also done.
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