Lohri festival is celebrated on the 13th of January to welcome the onset of spring season and the end of the winter season. The people rejoice on the harvesting of the winter crop at the time of Lohri. Lohri celebrates fertility and the sparkle of life. Lohri is celebrated mainly at night, when people gather round the bonfires. Sweets, puffed rice and popcorn are thrown into the flames and the fire is worshipped. The day of Lohri, in the Hindu month of Paush or Magh, is very auspicious as it marks the entry of Surya (sun) in the 'Makar Rashi' (northern hemisphere).During the Lohri festival, devotees take a holy dip in the holy rivers/water bodies in different parts of the state. The people of Jammu and Kashmir perform havans and yagnas in their homes and temples. In the rural areas, young children ask for gifts from newly wed couples, new parents and their own elders. Another feature of the Festival of Lohri in the state of Kashmir is the performance of the special Chajja dance. Young boys prepare 'chajjas' with colored paper and flowers and dance on the street, to the beats of drums. A number of traditional songs and dances further add to the festivities of Lohri.
