Most of us, propelled by the consumption of popular media associate the state of Punjab with bhangra and a lot of good food. But the festivals in Punjab involve more than dancing to the beats of the bhangra or slapping everyone on the back with happiness.

In fact, an important festival for the Sikhs is Lohri. Unlike most other Indian festivals which are dependent on a lot of astrological movements, Lohri by default is celebrated on 13^th of January. 

The significance

Traditionally, it is believed that Lohri is celebrated to mark the end of the winter solstice and the harvest of rabi crops. Most farmers also see this festival as the beginning of the financial New Year. There is also a folklore involving two girls Sundri and Mundri from whom stems the popular Lohri song “sunder mundriye ho!”

The rituals

The celebration of Lohri witnesses the people gather around a bonfire and make offering of sweets, puffed rice and popcorn to the bonfire. The bonfire lit during Lohri holds different meaning in various regions of Punjab with few places considering the fire to be a goddess. People toss sesame (til) seeds, jaggery (gur) and rewaries into the fire to keep it lit for a longer time.

It’s about the food

Anyone in the mood for sesame (til) and jaggery (rohri)? These two are the most popular ingredients during the Lohri festival and a lot of food items contain these two. Sesame and jaggery are believed to have the power to cleanse the body and imbibe one with more energy for the New Year. Foods like gajak, tilkichikki etc. are consumed on this day.

In states like Assam, Lohri is known as Bhogali Bihu. While the ingredients remain the same, jaggery, sesame, there are also delicacies made of rice and coconut like different varieties of pitha.

The fun and food associated with Lohri and its variants is almost unparalleled. But with growing consciousness about health, people are looking for a safer option to consume. Food items like organic jaggery, organic sesame seeds etc. retain the same taste but without harming the body so that you can celebrate various milestones year long without worrying about health.

If you are wondering where to get such organic produce from, venture no further than OrgPick.com.  It has a wide array of fresh picked and organic stuff which are delivered right to your doorstep.