New Delhi: Today is Friday the 13th - an ominous sound in the Western world that I live in. But in India where I am at the moment, today heralds a celebratory weekend bringing in Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal...After the festivities of Dussehra and Diwali in the fall, it's now the mid-winter festive season for giving thanks and harvesting that celebrates the season of winter crops or Rabi in India. This will be followed by the festivities of Spring with Shivratri, Holi, Ramnavmi and Baisakhi...I want to describe briefly the festivals celebrated this weekend in different parts of India:
Lohri: Wheat is the main winter crop in the breadbasket of India - Punjab. The grain is sown in October and harvested in March or April. In January, the fields come up with the promise of a golden harvest, and farmers celebrate Lohri during this rest period before the cutting and gathering of crops. According to the Hindu calendar, Lohri falls in mid-January. "The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun, thus ending the coldest month of the year, Paush".
I just returned from a Lohri celebration at our neighbor's home. At sunset on this cold January evening, a large bonfire was lit in the open courtyard of the house around which gathered the entire extended family and close friends. The senior-most was the patriarch of the family, and in his house live his three married sons with their wives and children in the kind of joint family arrangement that is still commonly seen in Indian households. There was a spirit of joy and festivity as everyone circled around the fire (parikrama), throwing puffed rice and popcorn into the flames, and singing popular folk songs. A commonly heard chant is "aader aaye, dilaader jaaye" (may honor advance and poverty retreat).The bonfire ritual is also a an invocation to Agni, the fire god, to bless the land with a good harvest, for abundance and prosperity.There were four generations of the family participating in this annual celebration - and all joined into the singing and the dancing, munching on eatables like til (sesame) seeds, peanuts, jaggery, or sweets made from sesame seeds and jaggery like gajak and rewri. Trays of popcorn and pumpkin seeds were also being circulated. Although I didn't stay for it I was told that in a bit, children would start demanding the Lohri 'loot' in the form of money from all the elders.This moment, of course, was what the kids were waiting for! But at the same time they were learning about rituals and traditions that were valued by their families and would be passed down from generation to generation. Although I am not Punjabi I was grateful for the invitation and cherished the opportunity to participate in this cultural celebration of thanksgiving and rejoicing.