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Hinduism - What Is The Lohari Festival?

 

The Lohari Festival takes place the night before Makara Sankranti, the day when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn, which nearly invariably occurs on January 14.

A big bonfire is the focal point of this festival.

Celebrants gather fuel for weeks before igniting the fire on the festival's last evening.

People dance, sing, and stroll around the fire, presenting sweets, fried snacks, and peanuts to the fire; the same foods are also offered as prasad, or sanctified food, to those present.

Lohari is a seasonal event that commemorates the end of the coldest part of the winter and heralds the return of milder weather, which is represented by fire.

This holiday is observed throughout Punjab and northern India, where Punjabis have established themselves.

This celebration also acts as a public demonstration of the family's evolution.

Families that have had recent weddings or babies rejoice with zeal, but families who have just lost a loved one typically do not.


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