Lohri is fundamentally an agricultural festival, filled with merry-making. It is celebrated in the state of Punjab. Lohri symbolizes the end of winter; it is celebrated on the 13th day of January in the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. In Punjab it is a gala time, a social event that is beyond conventional celebration. Lohri celebrates the richness of life through Punjabi Songs and Bhangra.

During the day, children go from door to door singing folk songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a thief who helps the poor and fights for their rights. These children are given sweets and savouries, and occasionally, money. These collections are known as Lohri, and they are distributed at night during the festival. Some may be offered to the sacred fire.

The festival of Lohri is celebrated outdoors. As it is usually very cold on the 13th of January, a bonfire is lit, and friends and relatives gather around. If there has been a happy occasion in the family, like the birth of a child or a marriage, Lohri is celebrated with much greater gusto. The happy family usually hosts a party to celebrate the first Lohri of the new child or couple.

Singing and dancing form an intrinsic part of the celebrations. People wear their brightest clothes and come to dance the bhangra and gidda to the beat of the dhol. Punjabi songs are sung, and everybody rejoices.