Skip to main content

Lohri

Lohri, a seasonal festival of North India is as old as that of story of Indus Valley civilization itself. The Festival of Lohri marks the beginning of the end of winter and the coming of spring and the New Year. The Lohri of north India coincides with Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Magha Bihu in Assam, Tai Pongal in Kerala, all celebrated on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti. Lohri is essentially a festival dedicated to fire and the sun god. It is the time when the sun transits the zodiac sign Makar (Capricorn), and moves towards the north. In astrological terms, this is referred to as the sun becoming Uttarayan. The new configuration lessens the ferocity of winter, and brings warmth to earth. It is to ward off the bitter chill of the month of January that people light bonfires, dance around it in a mood of bonhomie and celebrate Lohri. Fire is associated with concepts of life and health. Fire, like water, is a symbol of transformation and regeneration. It is the representative of the sun, and is thus related, on the one hand with rays of light, and on the other with gold. It is capable of stimulating the growth of cornfields and the well being of man and animals. It is the imitative magic purporting to assure the supply of light and heat. It is also an image of energy and spiritual strength. That is why the Lohri fire gets sanctified and is venerated like a deity. On this occasion, people offer peanuts, popcorn and sweets made of til- chirva, gajak and revri – to propitiate fire as a symbol of the sun god.



Lohri Girls Songs
“Hulle nee maiyee hulle
do beri patte jhulle
do jhul payeaan kahjurran
khajurran suttya meva
es munde de ghar mangeva
es munde di voti nikdi
oh! khandi choori, kutdi
Kut! Kut! Bharaya thaal woti bave nananaa nal
Ninaan te wadi parjaee
So kudma de ghar aayee!
My bebe doesn?t remember the lines after this so she tells me..
Chant
mein lohri lain aayee!”

Translation
“Two berry leaves are hanging
Two date leaves are also hanging
The tree shed the fruit
There’s an engagement in this boy’s house
This boy’s wife is short
She eats and grinds choori(a punjabi dish)
She grinds and grinds and fills the plate?.the wife sits with her sisters in law
Sister in law and the elder son’s wife
Are in their in-laws house
My bebe doesn’t remember the lines after this so she tells me..
Chant
I have come to take my Lohri ”


Lohri Boys Songs
Tera kaun vicaharaa ho!
Dullah bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paatta ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! (Cry or howl!)
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! ”

Translation
“The 'ho's are in chorus
Who do you have
The groom with the tandoor
The groom’s daughter got married
He gave 1 kg sugar!
The girl is wearing a red suit!
But her shawl is torn!
Who will stitch her shawl?!
The uncle made choori!
The landlords ate it!
He made the landlords eat a lot!
Lots of innocent guys came
One innocent boy got left behind
The police arrested him!
The policeman hit him with a brick!
Cry or howl!
Give us lohri ..long live your jodi!”
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grow Old with Someone you Love..............

My hair had gone grey, my eyes had gone weak. I am nearing onto my 70's, my old habits of late rising from sleep had changed. Now me and my wife had turned early risers. We are back from our morning walk. With a cup of tea, i am reading the newspaper headlines. Nothing much had changed politically in India all through these years. Priyanka Gandhi's son is on the verge to be the next prime minister of India, Kejriwal's son is still fighting against corruption. Lets put end to these newspaper stories here. Nikki (My Wife) is busy with her early morning Yoga session, she had turned 68 years old but still managed to looks 15 yrs younger than her age. I am gazing her my double lenses, its almost 40years of our togetherness and still it seems that we had just got married yesterday. Nikki raises her eyebrows from the corner and asks me whats in the breakfast honey? I distract myself and pretend that i had not heard her words. She speaks more louder with adding - "You...
1 comment
Read more

How to bring SMILE :-) when it is difficult to?

Its been longtime since i am writing this blog, there are reason when i write a blog..................Most of the time when i am happy & feel like smiling, i immediately jump on the blogger site to write my set of stories. A day before yesterday, i was so tired & was feeling very sad. Most of the time when i am sad, i try to go near by a market or a shopping mall that really delight me......I was just sitting at Subway restaurant with my Foot-long veggie delite thinking about - Why is it difficult to smile? When you feel that it is really difficult to smile everything seems to you very irritating, jokes looks like foolish, people looks like enemies, you want to be all alone, you don't get delighted with any big or good news........The same feelings are all around me, i am feeling difficult to smile, even there are lot of reasons to smile but yet my face is empty................. Napoleon Bonaparte said- "Everything is possible in his dictionary...
8 comments
Read more

Too Much Thoughts......

Why do I think so much................. This is the standard question which we all ask ourselves very often, its human tendency to think wherever we get a break to our mind. Even at times without getting a break too, mind keeps on working in the background even if you are working on something, even when we are sleeping. It always ticking and its very difficult to control it. Most of our emotions are driven by the thoughts running in the background of our mind. we feel happy if the thoughts are positive, we feel sad if our thoughts in the background are negative. Mind runs faster than the speed of the light, within a second it can think continuously and simultaneously so many thoughts. Most of the time when i drive the car, in the background my mind will start checking the emails which i read 3-4 days back and for which response is yet to be done, or it will start thinking about my parents well being if they are fine and what they would be doing or about 2-3 months ahead what is ...
2 comments
Read more