Lohri is a popular harvest festival of the farmers that is observed a night before Makar Sankranti and is also a traditional winter folk festival that commemorates the passing of the Winter Solstice while looking forward to longer days ahead as the sun journeys towards the northern hemisphere. Lohri is that point in time when the Earth is closest to the sun hence, the festival marks receding of the winters and the beginning of a new harvest season.
The main winter crop of Punjab, wheat, is sown in October and is seen at its prime in January across the fields of the Indian state. The crop is then later harvested in March but after weeks of harvesting the Rabi crop, people would gather around a bonfire and celebrate the passing of the winter solstice and the promise of the coming spring season as Lohri in January.
Another special significance attached to the celebration of Lohri is that on this day, the sun enters the Rashi (zodiac) of Makara (Capricorn) which is considered auspicious as it signifies a fresh start. A few accounts attribute the origin of the festival to the Himalayan mountain region where the winters are colder than the rest of the country.
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