Lohri 2026: Date, shubh muhurat, puja vidhi and bonfire time; all you need to know about the festival

Lohri is one of the most important festivals for Punjabi and Sikh families and is celebrated every year on January 13. Deeply associated with winter, open spaces, and community gatherings, Lohri is primarily an evening festival marked by warmth, simplicity, and shared traditions.

Lohri is widely regarded as a harvest festival, especially for farmers, who symbolically offer a portion of their produce to the fire and seek blessings for a good yield in the coming season.

Lohri 2026 Auspicious Bonfire Time (Muhurat)

The Godhuli Muhurat, regarded as an auspicious evening window, falls between approximately 5:41 PM and 6:08 PM on Tuesday, January 13. This period is considered especially favourable for lighting the Lohri bonfire and performing associated rituals.

Lohri 2026: Puja Muhurat (City-Wise Timings)

City	Puja Muhurat
Delhi	07:25 PM to 09:06 PM
Ludhiana	07:28 PM to 09:10 PM
Amritsar	07:31 PM to 09:13 PM
Jalandhar	07:28 PM to 09:11 PM
Patiala	07:27 PM to 09:09 PM
Ambala	07:25 PM to 09:07 PM

How Lohri Is Traditionally Celebrated

In the evening, families follow a simple yet meaningful set of rituals:

• Collect wood and arrange it in a small pile outside the house
• Light the bonfire during the auspicious time
• Listen to or recall the story of Dulla Bhatti while moving around the fire
• Circumambulate the fire seven or eleven times
• Offer peanuts, corn, gajak, sesame-jaggery, and rewari to the flames
• Celebrate by singing folk songs and performing Bhangra and Gidda
• Share and eat the prasad, usually rewari, peanuts, and gajak
  
• Many households also prepare traditional dishes like makki di roti and sarson da saag as part of the celebration.

Rituals Around the Sacred Bonfire

As per Drik Panchang, the central ritual of the night is the lighting of the holy bonfire, often referred to as Lohadi or Lal Loi. The fire is treated with reverence and is seen as a symbol of Agni Devta (the Fire God).

Families gather around the flames, offering popcorn, peanuts, rewri, and gajjak. These offerings are more than festive treats—they symbolise gratitude to the gods for winter crops such as wheat, mustard, and sugarcane that are now ready for harvest.

A Celebration of Gratitude and Renewal

At its heart, Lohri is a celebration of thankfulness, renewal, and togetherness. With its glowing bonfires, folk music, and shared food, the festival brings warmth to winter nights while honouring nature’s abundance and community bonds.