About Lohri
Lohri is a folk festival celebrated on the night before Makar Sankranti, most warmly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and the Jammu region. It marks the waning of the deepest part of winter and gives thanks for the sugarcane harvest and the promise of the rabi crop growing in the fields. As the evening sets in, families and neighbours gather around a large bonfire, offering sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts, popcorn and rewri into the flames as a gesture of gratitude to Agni.
Songs sung around the fire often recall Dulla Bhatti, a folk hero of Punjab remembered for protecting young girls and arranging their marriages with dignity. Children go from house to house singing these verses and receive sweets in return. Lohri holds special meaning for households celebrating a first Lohri, such as after a wedding or the birth of a child, when relatives come together to share blessings, dance bhangra and gidda, and enjoy sarson da saag with makki di roti.
How it is observed
- Lighting a community bonfire at dusk and walking around it
- Offering til, gur, peanuts, popcorn and rewri into the fire
- Singing Lohri folk songs, including verses about Dulla Bhatti
- Celebrating a first Lohri for newlyweds or a newborn with family
- Sharing gajak, rewri and a festive meal of saag and makki di roti
Lohri dates in past and coming years
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunday, 14 January 2024 | Past |
| 2025 | Monday, 13 January 2025 | Past |
| 2026 | Tuesday, 13 January 2026 | Past |
| 2027 | Thursday, 14 January 2027 | Next |
| 2028 | Friday, 14 January 2028 | Upcoming |
| 2029 | Saturday, 13 January 2029 | Upcoming |
| 2030 | Sunday, 13 January 2030 | Upcoming |
Dates are calculated from the Panchang for New Delhi. Some regions may observe a day earlier or later.
Across India
Celebrated widely in: Punjab Chandigarh Delhi
The same season is marked in many ways. Where a region keeps the festival on a different day, its calculated date is shown.
Punjab
Lohri
Families light a bonfire at dusk, circle it and offer sesame, rewri, gajak, peanuts and popcorn while singing folk songs of Dulla Bhatti. The first Lohri of a newborn or a newly married couple is celebrated with special joy.
Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh
Lohri
Neighbourhoods gather around a shared fire with bhangra, giddha and winter sweets, marking the end of the coldest days and the coming of the rabi harvest.
Jammu
Lohri
Children go from house to house singing and collecting treats, and the Chajja dance with decorated peacock-like frames is a local highlight.
Sindhi communities
Lal Loi
Sindhi families celebrate the eve of Sankranti as Lal Loi, lighting a fire and praying for the well-being of children and the family.
Punjab
Maghi
The day after Lohri is Maghi, the Makar Sankranti day, when people take a holy dip and Sikhs gather at Sri Muktsar Sahib to remember the Forty Liberated Ones.
Date: Friday, 15 January 2027
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Bhogi
The South also welcomes the winter harvest with a fire on the eve of Sankranti, when old things are burnt as Bhogi to make way for the new.
Date: Thursday, 14 January 2027
Lohri is mainly a North Indian celebration; in other regions the same season is marked by Makar Sankranti, Pongal or Bihu.
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