So why are there so many families who still do.?
Lohri is an indian festival of fire worship and it is also celebrated after the birth of baby boys.
Lohri is celebrated joyously by most punjabis when a boy is born into their family. HEARTY Congratulations are poured into that family.
When a baby girl is born into a punjabi family there are no celebrations and no congratulations. The atmosphere of gloom and doom cascades the family.
The divine Guru mat is all but forgotten.
Oh you Punjabis, please do not give me your brain fart of an excuse that it is “tradition”.
Gurmat or tradition? Pick your choice.
image source: sikhtoons http://www.sikhtoons.com/images/lohri.gif
Another one for the SLY CATS ? :
http://kaurkhalsaraj.wordpress.com/sly-cats/
p/s: Googling resulted in this interesting blog post: http://sikhsinkuwait.wordpress.com/2008/01/13/what-is-lohri/
[Blog page Originally posted : 20 oct 2009]
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CONTINUED HERE : http://kaurkhalsaraj.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/maghi-day-after-lohri/
AND http://kaurkhalsaraj.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/magi-day-after-lohri-part-ii/
My response to some of the comments in sikhsinkuwait site
LOHRI is ENCOURAGING Gender Discrimination is MANMAT.!!!
I think it is true. When a boy is born the whole family, relative and close friends celebrate but when a girl is born, its like no one cares!
How mean and selfish for people to do that.
We should clearly have demarcated understanding about Gurmati and Cultural activities based on traditions.
While living in PLURAL society we should be strong enough in our Gurmati understanding but at the same time traditional cultural activities can not be ignored.
This are my personal views..
Prakash.S.Bagga
Our silence toward gender discrimination displays our insincerity toward our Guru’s teachings in a big way; obviously we prefer to follow the crowd mentality than to follow the Guru who stood against it.
source : wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohri
“Lohri and winter solstice
[edit]Indian origins
Lohri is the Punjabis’ and Dogras’ cultural celebration on the eve of the winter solstice. However, instead of celebrating Lohri on the eve of winter solstice, Punjabis celebrate it on the last day of the month during which winter solstice takes place, Paush. This is due to linking Lohri to the Bikrami calendar. Among Sindhi’s the festival is popularly known as Lal loee. On the day of Lal Loee kids bring wood sticks from their grand parents and aunties and like a fire camp burnt these sticks in the night with people enjoying, dancing and playing around fire[1]
According to folk lore, in ancient Punjab Lohri was celebrated on the eve of winter solstice day. It is for this reason that people believe the Lohri night is meant to be the longest night of the year and on the day after Lohri, day light is meant to increase.
However, scientifically, the shortest day of the year is around December 21–22 after when the days begin to get longer. Accordingly, winter solstice begins on December 21 or December 22 and Lohri ought to be celebrated a day before winter solstice.
[edit]Link to Makar Sankranti
With the formulation of the Bikrami calendar, Lohri has been twinned with the Hindu winter solstice festival of Makar Sankranti which relates to the Sun’s entry into the new sign, Makar. Hindus pray to the Hindu Sun God, Ravi on Makar Sankranti which is meant to be celebrated on winter solstice day.
Due to the link of Lohri to the Bikrami calendar, the true origin of Lohri has become blurred. People often say that Lohri must be celebrated on the last day of Paush but also refer to Lohri day being the shortest in the year. This creates confusion when explaining the significance of Lohri as two festivals with different origins have become linked as they both relate to the winter solstice.”
Seasonal festival
Punjabis, irrespective of their religion, continue to practice their Punjabi Folk Religion. Respect to the seasons and the natural elements of fire, wind, water and the earth is very important. Lohri is a festival dedicated to the end of the Winter season whereas Teej (known as Teeyan in Punjabi) is dedicated to the rain/Monsoon season and Basant is dedicated to the Spring season.
[edit]Lohri and harvest festival
Lohri is traditionally associated with the harvest of the rabi crops.[2] People take peanuts, rewri, flour, butter and various food items to places of religious worship to thank God for a good harvest.
[edit]Lohri and the financial new year
Punjabi farmers see the day after Lohri as the financial new year. It is a very important day.
[edit]Dulla Bhatti
Over time, people have associated Lohri to the tale of Dulla Bhatti.[3] The central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti,who lived in Punjab during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He was regarded as a hero in Punjab. Besides robbing the rich, he rescued Hindu girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East. He arranged their marriages to Hindu boys with rituals and provided them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.
Dulla Bhatti was a rebel whose lineage was of Bhatti Rajputs . His anscestors were the rulers of Pindi Bhattian in Sandal Bar area of present day Pakistan. He was a hero of all Punjabis and his var (life story) is available on the internet.[4]
[edit]Other legends of the origin of Lohri
[edit]Loi
Some people believe that Lohri has derived its name from Loi, the wife of Saint [Rohit Nandan Prajapati].
[edit]Loh
There is a legend amongst some people that Lohri comes from the word ‘loh’, which means the light and the warmness of fire
[edit]Til and Reodi
Eating of til (sesame seeds) and Reodi (jaggery) is considered to be essential on Lohri day. Perhaps the words til and rorhi merged to become tilorhi, which eventually got shortened to Lohri.
It seems that the origins of this winter solstice (celebrated on the shortest day of the year) is rather blurred. A perspective on this subject posted on Sikh chic website http://www.sikhchic.com/columnists/my_first_lohri
I feel the festival of Lohri has nothing to do with Gender discrimination.As a cultural activity this can be celeberated for both Genders.This can help strenthen the social fabric of the society and give a new direction to the thinking of equality of BABY and BABY BOY.
Prakash.S.Bagga
Very nice thoughts and Katha by Bhai Sarajeet Singh Dhunda but He is speaking ill about Jaap Sahib now days. This is totally wrong done by Dhunda and other Canadian Sikh (don’t remember name).
In a Gurdwara, do we metha thek to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee or some other books?
Prof. Sarbjit Singh Dhunda himself has said that video regarding Jaap is not his. He is willing to get his voice, and the video tested in a laboratory to prove it.