Happy‌ ‌Lohri‌ ‌:‌ ‌Popular‌ ‌Bollywood‌ ‌&‌ ‌Punjabi‌ ‌Songs‌ ‌Your‌ ‌Playlist‌ ‌Needs‌ ‌

Lohri, one of the first festivals of the year 2022, is approaching. Every year on January 13th, the fortunate event commemorates the conclusion of the winter solstice and is tied to the Rabi crop harvest. In northern India, preparations for the celebration have begun in earnest. Lohri is observed with enthusiasm and devotion all throughout the country.

Lohri is a Hindu celebration that takes place in the evening. This event features peanuts, jaggery, popcorn, sesame, and gajak. People light a sacred campfire and sing around it with friends and family on this day. Then, they surround the campfire with peanuts, gajak, popcorn, sesame, and maise and pray to God for a plentiful crop.

• History 

The history of Lohri, a North Indian seasonal celebration, is as old as the narrative of the Indus Valley civilisation. The Lohri Festival heralds the end of winter, the arrival of spring, and the start of a new year. The nightly fires, hand warming, music and dancing, and the coming together of an otherwise atomised community are just a few of the festival's highlights. On the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti, the Lohri of north India coincides with Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Magha Bihu in Assam, and Tai Pongal in Kerala.

Lohri is associated with some fascinating socio-cultural and folklore. According to Punjabi cultural history, during the time of Akbar, the Bhatti, a Rajput tribe, occupied areas of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat (now in Pakistan). The Mughal ruler executed Dulla Bhatti, Raja of Pindi Bhattian, for revolting against him. The tribal mirasis (street singers) recount the tribe's history, claiming Maharaja Ranjit Singh as one of the tribe's scions.

Dulla Bhatti, like Robin Hood, looted the wealthy and distributed the proceeds to the needy. He was well-liked and respected by the locals. He once saved a little girl from kidnappers and raised her as his daughter. Every year on Lohri, his people would commemorate their hero. Children sang the traditional Dulla Bhatti song from house to house "Dulla Bhatti ho! Dulle ne dhi viyahi ho! Ser shakar pai ho!" (As a wedding present, Dulla gave his daughter a kilo of sugar.)

Lohri is a Hindu festival that honours fire and the sun deity. It is the period when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makar) and proceeds northward. This is known as the sun entering Uttarayan in astrological parlance. Winter's fury is lessened by the new structure, which also delivers warmth to Earth. People ignite bonfires, dance around them in a celebratory atmosphere, and celebrate Lohri to fend off the biting winter of January.

The ideals of life and health are linked to fire. Like water, fire is a symbol of change and regeneration. It is the sun's representation and is consequently associated with beams of light on the one hand and gold on the other. It has the ability to promote crop development as well as human and animal health. It's a type of imitative magic that claims to ensure a constant supply of light and heat. It's also a symbol of spiritual power and vigour. As a result, the Lohri fire is sanctified and revered as a deity. People present peanuts, popcorn, and til-based sweets – chirva, gajak, and revri – to appease fire, symbolising the sun deity.

• Celebration

Huge bonfires are built and ignited in the harvested fields or in front of the home when the sun sets in the evening. Logs of wood are stacked together for this purpose. People go around the campfire three times once it is lighted, delivering offerings of popcorn, peanuts, rayveri, and sweets. Then everyone starts dancing to the dhol tunes (traditional Indian drum). While tossing rice and popcorn into the fire, the crowd chants, "Aadar aye dilather jaye," which means "may honour arrive and poverty leave."

People also throw sugarcane sticks into the fire, filling the air with the fragrance of burning sugar. The young girls and boys then ignite fireworks and sparklers, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. Throughout the night, there is singing and dancing.

Another thing is that by tossing sesame seeds into the fire, people are requesting sons. "As many sons as the elder brother's wife tosses, so many sons the younger brother's wife will birth," the proverb goes. It sounds amusing!!! As a result, Lohri is celebrated much more enthusiastically in houses with a newborn son or a newlywed man and wife.

Sesame or til prasad, peanuts, rayveri, puffed rice, popcorn, gajak, and other sweets are handed out. This is a petition to Agni for a bountiful harvest and wealth.

People meet up with friends and family after the bonfire Parikrama and exchange presents and pleasantries. Everyone settles down to eat Sarso Da Saag (cooked mustard herbs) and Makke Di Roti (multi-millet hand-rolled bread) with homemade white butter after that.

On this day, the males of most Punjabi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh villages practise bhangra. Bhangra is a popular dance genre known for the tremendous amount of energy poured into each step. This dance promotes people's potency, vivacity, and enthusiasm in expectation of money arriving following a successful harvest. The drum is a major feature of the Lohri festival, providing the primary accompaniment to the folk song.

Another vibrant festival tradition is kite flying. This is a very popular ceremony that attracts a lot of attention. To participate in this kite flying celebration, people and villages from Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh dress up in traditional clothing. Women wear colourful lehengas, kurtis, and dupattas, while males wear colourful Kurta, Dhoti, and Pagdi or Turban. Kite flying is thought to be a method of thanking the sun and nature for their assistance in farming by allowing them to bathe in the lovely morning sun.

The first Lohri of a newlywed couple or a newborn child is significant. The close family members are invited to a lavish meal, which is followed by a gift exchange. The usual singing and dancing continue after the party is ended. On this day, everyone pampers the new bride and her newborn kid.

1st Lohri of a New Bride: A new bride's first Lohri is a grand one. Both the bride's and groom's families assemble in their new outfits. Clothes with a lot of embroideries and a lot of bling are favoured. The new bride must put on a new bracelet on her wrist, apply Mehendi or henna to her hands, and a beautiful bindi on her forehead. The new bride is given new clothes and jewels by her in-laws. The bride and groom sit in the centre of the room, where their father-in-law and mother-in-law, as well as other guests and relatives, present them with presents and wish them a happy and fruitful life.

The first Lohri of a Newborn: Close friends and family gather to celebrate Lohri with the newborn infant. It's so huge that some individuals even send out invitation cards to the family! All of these rites take place at the newborn child's paternal household. To bless the newborn kid, all of the invited friends and family assemble with presents. The newborn child's maternal grandparents give presents to the paternal grandparents and other relatives.

The new mom, like a new bride, must dress up in heavy clothing and jewellery, with mehndi on her hands and feet and bindi on her forehead. Close friends, family members, and other relatives lay the infant on her lap while giving her gifts ranging from garments to dried fruits.

Now, following up with the celebrations, here are some of the best Lohri songs that you might want to have on your playlist!

1.Lohri (Asa Nu Maan Watna Da) 

This lovely Punjabi song, sung by Jaspinder Narula and Harbhajan Mann, is a real feast for the ears.

2.Balle Balle (Mel Karade Rabba) 

This charming song is a dancing number for newlyweds and includes Jimmy Sheirgill and Neeru Bajwa.

3. Veer Zaara (Lodi)

In this song, Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta are dressed in bright Punjabi traditional attire and dancing around a campfire.

4.Massan Leya (Raj Ghumman)

This is another well-known Lohri song with beautiful women dressed in colourful traditional garb.

5.Charha De Rang (Yamla Pagla Deewana)

This amazing song is a must to have a joyous dance on the evening of this auspicious festival!

6. Bele Apne Di Lodi

The loud drums in this song signify how important this festival is to people, a must-have!

Lohri is one of the most celebrated Indian festivals, and as usual, every festival is accompanied by good music. Punjabi Karaoke Songs are an amazing deal on the evening of this amazing festival. So, if you are looking forward to finding the best karaoke tracks of the highest quality, be sure to visit Hindi Karaoke Shop as we have all that you need! High-quality karaoke tracks with lyrics, including tracks in regional languages! So, now you know where to find your favourite songs in our ever-growing song library.

Happy Lohri..