Saturday, January 17, 2009

Harvesting Festival

"Sunder mundriye ho!
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 far ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi!(Cry or howl!)

Bhaanvey ro te bhaanvey pit!"

song source "Wikipedia"
(Translation of it is give below for those who don't understand Punjabi)



"Ooh after reading these lines people who understand Punjabi would easily noticed that about what i would be talking about. As a true punjaban how can i forgot to write about our new year our first festival "LOHRI" or we say "LOHDI".No matter how you write but pronounce it in the same way and the main motto is to express the feeling and greeting for the festival."


As from English Calender 1st Jan is the new year day which now a days in India also had become a popular festival day and people had celebrated in full fledged but traditionally in India, which is the country of cultures and different religions, every religion have there own new year.Once upon a time when the maximum population of India was farmers and hard workers people celebrate their new year on their harvest season.People in south India celebrate it as pongal and onam, in east its bihu and nabanna, Sankranti or makar sankranti in all over the region and for people of punjab its Lohri and baisakhi(vaisakhi) or we can say sankrant.As a punjabi but living in maharshtra i don't know much about other harvesting festival but can describe lohri and makar sankranti to you.these are the festival of new beginnings, prosperity and abundance.


Lohri is celebrated on 13 Jan or mostly after next day of puaranmashi (purnima) all over the world(especially in India and more over in North India).Lohri is considered as the last of winter and beginning of magha (when sun changes its course).Lohri is basically a thanks giving festival.It is celebrated cause people should thank god the creator for whatever he had given and farmers do so to thank for the new fasal(crops) and pray them to get best results all over the year.

I wont go deep into the history of the festival as truly i also don't know much and am afraid if would give you wrong information.But one thing i surely want to mention which my parents use to tell me that in older days on lohdi in traditional Punjab and other areas children go door to door singing the traditional song i have mentioned and asking people for lohri.And people according to there love and pocket give them sweets,popcorn, revadi(crystal sugar), Mungfali(peanuts),til (sesame seeds) or gur as well as money.Returning them empty handed is thought as inauspicious.This collection is said as lohri which is shared at night during bonfire tradition.The festival now a days have been pretty much changed now a days none go to someones door or asking lohri instead people buy these traditional things and then Born fire is done at night where these popcorn,Peanuts etc are offered to fire(Agni devta).

Lohri had a great significance in newly weds and new born baby life.As it is the festival of Thanksgiving and praying for good and prosperous year and crop so newly weds and new born are been asked to specially blessed by god that their years become prosperous.As it is the festival of Punjab or punjabis how can you forgot dhol and bhangra and dance.Yes this festival is also not left behind it is celebrated with full joy and music the dhol is been played near fire and people dance around the fire when the bornfire is been lamp at night. Lohdi play a vital role to show the people the way of life it basically celebrates "fertility" and "spark of life".



I wish all my readers Happy Lohri and Happy Makar sankranti may the festival brings hapiness and prosperity to you and people around you :-)


I know i have been late again this time as lohdi has been gone but wishes are never late its always "late than never" and many people must have wished you on that day but special ones have holed their wishersto wish you always happiness in life as the festival says so.So be "happy and Keep Smiling always".

Well as i have told you earlier that i live in Maharashtra here Makar sankrati is been celebrated but i hardly know about that i just know that the most famous sentence been said to addressing is "til gud khaoo godd godd bolo" means eat sweet speak sweet i think people who would be reading about it may be they know more than me so request them to do post information about it so that you share something with me which i don't know and one more thing is very famous on makar sankranti that's kite flying.



These festivals are spreading wishes and happiness all around you so you all also do so..
Keep smiling always :-)

(Translation of the above song)

“The 'ho's are in chorus
Sunder mundriye ho(Sunder and munder are the name of girls here)
Who will think about you
He is dulla bhatti( a dacoit like robinhood who use to loot the riches and help the poor)
Dulla's daughter got
married (Dulla bhatti help them married with their grooms by considering them his daughters) 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 looted it!
Landlords are beaten up then!
Lots of innocent guys came to save
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 couple!
Whether you cry, or bang your head later!

Source wikipedia