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India is a land of festivities and celebrations which gives it a colorful identity all around the world. Being a country of diverse culture and traditions, the festivals of India are as colorful as the seven colors of a rainbow. There are various festivals that are celebrated in the entire country whereas some of them are regional festivals that are celebrated in a particular region or area.
Lohri is one such important regional festival of the North Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and some other states. Although, it is primarily a harvest festival of Punjab and signifies the change in the direction of Sun God. Lohri is celebrated on 13th January all over India and is a day before the festival of Makar Sankranti. The harvest festival represents the ending of winters on the last day of Paush and the beginning of the Magha Indian season which occurs around January 12 and 13 due to change in the course of the sun.
It is an important festival which is celebrated with great fanfare among Punjabis who sing, dance and play around the huge bonfire on this day. People distribute roasted peanuts, revari (an Indian sweet made from sugar and sesame seeds, dry fruits, popcorns and other such food items among each other.
Although, our ways of celebrating this bonfire festival of Lohri may have changed over the years but it is definitely a great festival for the newly married couples or the couples having their first child. Let us share some amazing ideas of the Lohri celebration to make this festival more enjoyable and memorable for all.
Try out some great recipes and cuisines- The day of Lohri is a festival where all the family members are reunited for the celebration. This reunion of a big family is definitely a sign to prepare a wide range of dishes, delicacies, different cuisines for the family members.
You can try out some exciting recipes on this occasion and could earn huge appreciation from them in return. It would be really interesting to eat together with your family and loved ones on a big dining table and gorging on a wide range of food items.
Plan out a family game around the bonfire- Having a big family at any festival or celebration is definitely a great thing to experience. Plan out an exciting bonfire game with your family members on the night of Lohri. It could be a “pick up a chit and perform†or “dumbs shell art†game with the entire family. It will be lots of fun and you will get some memorable moments of your life on this Lohri celebration.
Prepare some Sugarcane mock tails- If your family members are of the notion who believes in “eat, drink and party harderâ€, this is certainly a great idea to follow. You can experiment with a variety of Sugarcane mock tail drinks that can be teamed with vodka, scotch, whisky or rum as per your choice. These exotic mock tails will be a great break from the old monotonous celebrations of the Lohri.
Design exciting gifts or goodies bag- There are food items like revari, peanuts, dry fruits, popcorns, jaggery based sweets and other such stuffs that are distributed among family members and other people. It would be a fantastic idea to design wonderful goodies bag of the above food items and gift them to your special ones. Sending lohri gifts as goodies bag will give a refreshing look to your Lohri celebrations.
It is time to celebrate this bonfire festival of Lohri in an extraordinary manner by practicing the above tips. This precious family reunion coupled with the euphoria, madness and excitement will easily add vibrant colors to the celebration of this regional festival of Lohri. So, cheers to this bonfire festival and Happy Lohri to all.
