Lohri - Some activities you can enjoy while celebrating the festival

A famous winter folk festival, Lohri is celebrated throughout India to mark the beginning of longer days after the winter solstice or winter season. This is a traditional way to bid farewell to the winters and welcome the warm summer.Typically, the Lohri festival is observed on January 13—a day before Makar Sankranti. Yet, it's unclear whether Lohri falls on January 13 or 14. According to Drik Panchang, the Lohri will occur on January 14, 2023, on a Saturday, and Makar Sankranti will fall on January 15, 2023, on a Sunday. Around 8.57 pm, the Lohri Sankranti tithi will begin. Being a rich part of our culture, Lohri should be introduced to all the children and there are some fun ways to do it. 

Enjoy these simple activities with your children to help them to understand the significance of Lohri.

• Read a book: Get hold of a book about the festival of Lohri and read it to your child. The colourful pictures will appeal to your little one and she will want to celebrate the festival with enthusiasm. 

• Plant a tree: Lohri is a significant festival for farmers because it is meant to express gratitude to nature for providing a good crop. Bring the spirit home by sowing some seeds with your child, watering them every day,  watching it grow into a plant and enjoying its fruits and flowers. 

• Have a bonfire: The highlight of the festival is the lighting of the bonfire in the evening. Gather kids in the area and have a bonfire night for them. Sing traditional Punjabi folk songs, distribute til laddoos, peanuts and gajak among them. Let them eat some and drop some in the fire to thank nature for all that it has given us. 

• Fly kites: Paint the sky with vibrant colors by flying kites with your child this Lohri. 

• Mini bonfires: Young ones who cannot go out in the cold evening to watch an actual bonfire will like doing this. Gather a few small sticks from the nearby park with your child and set them up like bonfires on top of some tea light candles. Light the candles and enjoy a bonfire dinner with your family. 

• Mini kites: Take some chart paper in different colours and some thread. Enjoy making mini kites with your little one. 

• Appreciate food: During mealtime, talk about how the food reaches the table from the farm. Explain the different processes of sowing, ploughing, harvesting etc. This will help your child respect the food that she eats every day. 

• Special meal: Have a Lohri special meal of sarson ka saag and makki ki roti, coupled with sweets made with til and jaggery. 

Hope you have a great time celebrating Lohri with your little one this year. Happy Lohri!

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