‘Have a wonderful Lohri’: PM Narendra Modi extends greeting to people

People gathered with their family and friends and were seen singing, dancing for the Lohri festivities.

File photo

After a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, people celebrated Lohri with their loved ones with full pomp and show. Lohri, the harvest festival celebrated on January 13 every year, marks the end of winter and the time to harvest rabi crops. To make the Lohri celebration even more special for people Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to extend Lohri greetings. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Have a wonderful Lohri! May this festival deepen the spirit of harmony in our society. May there be happiness all around." The Punjabi festival of Lohri falls in the chilly month of January.

Have a wonderful Lohri! May this festival deepen the spirit of harmony in our society. May there be happiness all around. pic.twitter.com/s7tzg0puVX

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 13, 2023

Lohri is celebrated in many Indian states. People gathered with their family and friends for the Lohri festivities. They were seen singing, dancing, and enjoying games. One of the people celebrating the festival at the event said, "Lohri is being celebrated with much favour in Mela ground in Mathura. We all are enjoying this festival with bhangra and giddha. Here mimicry and other artists are also performing." "After a gap of two years, the festival is being celebrated with such grandeur," said another person.

People across the country light the bonfire, and whirl around it singing Punjabi folk songs and pop sesame seeds, popcorn, jaggery, and rewaris. But, before you wish a happy Lohri to your close ones, here are the significant and interesting facts about the joyous festival. The occasion holds excellent significance among farmers, as they thank the almighty for a bountiful harvest of crops and forth on the event. Traditionally, Lohri is also called `Lohi` in Punjabi. 

In houses that have recently had a marriage or childbirth, the celebrations of the festival are observed at a grand scale, otherwise, people usually have private Lohri celebrations in their houses. The major part of the festival is its folk songs. While whirling around the bonfire ladies perform `gidda` and sing the `Sundar Mundariye` song which has words to express gratitude to `Dulla Bhatti.` The tale behind the main song is known by very few. 

(With inputs from ANI)