Lohri festival celebrations in AmritsarReuters 
Kite flying is popular in Punjab during Lohri festivalReuters 
Students perform a traditional folk dance near a bonfire as they celebrate the Lohri festivalReuters 
Indian women perform Giddhaa, a traditional folk dance, near a bonfire as they celebrate the Lohri festivalReuters
One of the main Punjabi festivals, Lohri, is being celebrated on 13 January this year. It marks the culmination of winter with the worship of fire. This festival is meant to be celebrated on the shortest day and longest night of the year.
People believe that lighting fire in the evening of Lohri signifies the start of longer days. The bonfire is the highlight of the celebration as it symbolises the end of winter. Also, Lohri is known as the harvest festival as it is the traditional time to harvest sugarcane crops.
Therefore, sugarcane product jaggery (gurh) is the main sweet during this festival. Other items that are relished by people during this time are til (sesame) seeds, peanuts, and sweets like gazzak, rewri, etc. Also, radish is an important food item, which can be harvested between October and January.
To celebrate Lohri, people, especially Punjabis, gather to form a circle around a bonfire and throw puffed rice and popcorn into it. They can be seen chanting "Aadae aye dilather jaye", which means "May honour come and poverty vanish", simultaneously.
The celebrations also include folk songs, men doing Bhangra on drum beats and women performing Gidda. Also, kite flying is a popular activity in Punjab during the festival, which is also known as Makar Sankranti.
This year, IBTimes India provides you a platform to showcase your wishes and messages to your loved ones using the customised greeting card below:
Meanwhile, check out some Lohri greetings, wishes, messages in Hindi and English language to send to your friends and family.
May this Lohri Give you a lot of Happiness & Joy..May this Lohri be Delightful & auspicious for you! Wishing u and Ur family a very "HAPPY LOHRI".
Gul ko gulshan mubarak ho,
Chaand ko chandani mubarak ho,
Shayar ko shayri mubarak ho,
Aur hamari taraf se aap ko Lohri mubarak ho.
Gul ne gulshan se gulfam bheja hai,
sitaro ne gagan se salam bheja hai,
Mubarak ho apko ye "LOHRI 2016"
Humne tahe dil se yeh paigam bheja hai.
Mungfali di khushbo te Gurh di Mithaas,..
Makki di Roti te Sarso da Saag,..
Dil di khushi te aapneya da Pyar,
Mubarak Hove Tuhanu LOHRI Da Tyohaar..!!
Wishing you a very Happy Lohri and Makar Sakranti as well.
May this harvest season bring you prosperity & Joy
And help you to fly high like a kite
Let us celebrate together.
Mitha gurh te vich mil gia til,
uddi ptang te khil geya dil,
har pal sukh te har din shanti pao,
rab agge dua, tusi "Lohri" khushian naal manao.
'HAPPY LOHRI'
Let this Lohri Night burn all your bad timesand enter you in good times.
