Lohri 2024: Astrologer Gaurav Dixit Explains the Meaning And When To Celebrate The Holiday
January 14, 2024 is the day of the Lohri festival, which is an important event in North India, especially among Sikhs and Punjabis. Every January, Lohri is celebrated with great zeal as a way to greet the new harvest and bid adieu to the winter chill. It falls one day before Makar Sankranti. Astrologically speaking, Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated the night before Lohri, marks the Sun’s passage from Dakshinayan to Uttarayan.
An astrologer from Soron, Uttar Pradesh, named Gaurav Dixit gave Local18 some insight into the festival’s fortunate timing and importance. Given that Makar Sankranti comes on the fifteenth of January, the calendar indicates that Lohri will be celebrated on January 14, 2024. This day, from 5:34 pm until 8:12 pm, is the fortunate Pradosh Kaal Lohri time.
Lohri is a big deal for the Sikh community, particularly the farmers. The Sun God and Fire God are traditionally worshipped on this day. Farmers give thanks to God and pray for an abundant crop. According to Gaurav Dixit, farmers often start harvesting their crops on Lohri. Women also take part, praying for happiness and success while listening to customary folk tunes.
Folklore abounds around the origins of Lohri. According to one story, Prajapati Daksh was against Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati’s marriage. Daksh planned a lavish Yagya, but he purposefully left Lord Shiva and Sati off of the guest list. Shiva advised Sati not to travel without an invitation when she expressed her want to go. Sati defied Shiva’s warning and went to the Yagya Kund where she self-immolated after hearing disparaging words about Shiva. This moving occasion is remembered with the Lohri festival.
On Lohri night, families congregate around bonfires and present Revdi, Kheel, wheat, and peanuts to the flames as a sign of their hopes for a happy life. With its agricultural and cultural importance, the celebration embodies prayers for prosperity, thankfulness, and the promise of warmer days to come.
The celebration has both cultural and agricultural importance; it represents prayers for good fortune, thankfulness, and the hope of better weather to come.
