‘Lohri‘ (Pronounce: – Loh-rhi) is an annual festival in Punjab. It comes in the month of January. It is not a religious festival. The story says that a poor man named Hundo married off his daughter. Her in-laws demanded dowry, which Hundo could not give. As a result, his daughter was burnt. For this reason the daughters go begging for money from their brothers and elders so that the same does not happen to them….

The day begins with children collecting money from houses in the neighbourhood. In the evening, winter savouries are served around a bonfire. Children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi version of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and helped the poor. These “visitors” are given either money or gachak, bhuga, til, moongphali, gur and rewri. The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy event in the family during the elapsed year, like the birth of a male child or marriage.

Eating of til and rorhi is considered to be essential on this day. Perhaps the words til and rorhi merged to become tilorhi, which eventually got shortened to Lohri.