Happy Lohri 2027: Wishes in Punjabi, the Dulla Bhatti Story, What to Eat and How It's Celebrated

"Happy Lohri" in Punjabi is Lohri diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan (ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ) or Lohri mubarak (ਲੋਹੜੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ). Lohri (ਲੋਹੜੀ) is the Punjabi winter bonfire festival, celebrated on the night before Maghi (Makar Sankranti) — in 2027 that is Thursday 14 January. Families gather round a fire, throw in sesame, puffed rice and peanuts, dance gidda and bhangra, and eat rewri and gajak until the cold gives up. A newborn's first Lohri and a newlywed couple's first Lohri are celebrated with special joy. Here are the wishes, the story of Dulla Bhatti behind the songs, the food, and how Brampton and Southall do it in the snow.

Lohri Wishes in Punjabi

Wish	Gurmukhi	Meaning
Lohri diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan	ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ	Happy Lohri (the standard greeting; LO-hdee dee-AAN lukh lukh vuh-DHAA-ee-aan)
Lohri mubarak	ਲੋਹੜੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ	Happy Lohri (short)
Tuhanu te tuhade parivaar nu Lohri diyan vadhaaiyan	ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਤੇ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ	Happy Lohri to you and your family
Lohri di agg tuhade ghar vich nigh te khushiyan liaave	ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀ ਅੱਗ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਿੱਘ ਤੇ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਲਿਆਵੇ	May the Lohri fire bring warmth and joy to your home
Rabb tuhadi jholi khushiyan naal bhar deve	ਰੱਬ ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਝੋਲੀ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਭਰ ਦੇਵੇ	May God fill your lap with happiness
Lohri di mithaas tuhade jeevan vich sada rahe	ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀ ਮਿਠਾਸ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਜੀਵਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਦਾ ਰਹੇ	May the sweetness of Lohri stay in your life always
Nave saal di pehli Lohri mubarak	ਨਵੇਂ ਸਾਲ ਦੀ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ	Happy first Lohri of the new year
Bachche di pehli Lohri diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan	ਬੱਚੇ ਦੀ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ	Congratulations on the baby's first Lohri
Nave jodi nu pehli Lohri diyan vadhaaiyan	ਨਵੀਂ ਜੋੜੀ ਨੂੰ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ	Happy first Lohri to the new couple
Rabb tuhadi fasal te ghar nu barkat deve	ਰੱਬ ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਫ਼ਸਲ ਤੇ ਘਰ ਨੂੰ ਬਰਕਤ ਦੇਵੇ	May God bless your harvest and your home
Happy Lohri ji!	ਹੈਪੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ ਜੀ!	What the group chat says

To reply: Tuhanu vi lakh lakh vadhaaiyan. The [festival] diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan pattern covers the whole year — see the Punjabi festival calendar 2027.

When Is Lohri in 2027?

Lohri is celebrated on the evening before Maghi (ਮਾਘੀ), the first day of the month of Magh, which coincides with Makar Sankranti. In most years that puts Lohri on 13 January; in 2027 Makar Sankranti falls on Friday 15 January, so Lohri is Thursday 14 January 2027. It marks the end of the deepest winter — the days start to lengthen — and the harvest of sugarcane and the sowing season's turning point. For Sikhs, Maghi itself is a day of remembrance: the Chali Mukte, forty Sikhs who fell fighting for Guru Gobind Singh at Muktsar in 1705, are honoured at the Mela Maghi there, and kheer cooked in sugarcane juice is the traditional food of the morning.

How Lohri Is Celebrated

Tradition	Punjabi	What happens
The bonfire	Agg / dhooni ਅੱਗ / ਧੂਣੀ	Lit after sunset in the courtyard or street; everyone gathers round it
Circling the fire	Parikarma ਪਰਿਕਰਮਾ	Family members walk round the fire throwing in til (sesame), gur (jaggery), phulle (popcorn) and peanuts, with the old cry Ishar aaye, dalidar jaaye — may plenty come and poverty go
Children's rounds	Lohri mangna ਲੋਹੜੀ ਮੰਗਣਾ	In the days before, children go door to door singing Lohri songs and are given sweets, peanuts and a little money — the Punjabi trick-or-treat
Dancing	Gidda te bhangra ਗਿੱਧਾ ਤੇ ਭੰਗੜਾ	To the dhol, round the fire, until late
The feast	Sarson da saag te makki di roti	Mustard greens with corn roti, kheer, and the Lohri sweets below
First Lohri	Pehli Lohri ਪਹਿਲੀ ਲੋਹੜੀ	A newborn's or a newly married couple's first Lohri is hosted by the family with sweets distributed to the whole neighbourhood and gifts for the child or couple

What to Eat on Lohri

English	Punjabi	Gurmukhi	Pronunciation
Sesame-and-jaggery brittle	Rewri	ਰਿਓੜੀ	RAY-o-dee
Sesame or peanut brittle	Gajak	ਗੱਚਕ	GUCH-uk
Peanuts	Moongphali	ਮੂੰਗਫਲੀ	MOONG-pha-lee
Sesame seeds	Til	ਤਿਲ	til
Popcorn, puffed rice	Phulle	ਫੁੱਲੇ	PHUL-lay
Jaggery	Gur	ਗੁੜ	gud
Sugarcane	Ganna	ਗੰਨਾ	GUN-naa
Mustard greens and corn roti	Sarson da saag te makki di roti	ਸਰ੍ਹੋਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਗ ਤੇ ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ	sur-HON daa saag tay MUK-kee dee RO-tee
Rice pudding (cooked in sugarcane juice for Maghi)	Kheer	ਖੀਰ	kheer
Sesame ladoo	Til de ladoo	ਤਿਲ ਦੇ ਲੱਡੂ	til day LUD-doo

More of the kitchen in Punjabi food and kitchen words.

The Story of Dulla Bhatti

Every Lohri song is about one man. Dulla Bhatti — Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti — was a Punjabi Muslim landowner who rebelled against the Mughal emperor Akbar in the late 1500s and became a folk hero across Punjab. The legend remembers him for rescuing girls who were being carried off and sold, arranging their marriages himself and giving them dowries as if they were his own daughters — which is why the children's Lohri song addresses the "sundar mundriye", the beautiful girl, and asks who will look after her, and answers: Dulla Bhatti. It is also why Lohri, a harvest fire festival older than any one story, became the day Punjabis celebrate a daughter's wedding and a baby's birth, and why the folk hero is Muslim, the festival is celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus, and nobody finds that strange.

Lohri in the Diaspora

In Brampton, Surrey, Southall and Birmingham, Lohri falls in the coldest week of the year, which turns out to be perfect for a bonfire. Gurdwaras and community halls hold Lohri melas with dhol, gidda competitions and rewri; families with a new baby or a new couple host the whole clan in a garage with a fire pit and a tarpaulin against the snow. Dheeyan di Lohri — Lohri for daughters — once a campaign slogan in Punjab, is simply how most diaspora families celebrate now. For a first Lohri invitation, dress warm and bright, bring sweets, and know your three words: Lohri diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan. The wedding that may have preceded it is explained in Punjabi wedding traditions, and the baby in congratulations on a new baby.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say happy Lohri in Punjabi?

Lohri diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan (ਲੋਹੜੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ) or Lohri mubarak (ਲੋਹੜੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ). Reply with tuhanu vi, "you too".

When is Lohri in 2027?

Thursday 14 January 2027 — the evening before Maghi (Makar Sankranti), which falls on 15 January in 2027. In most years Lohri is on 13 January.

Why is Lohri celebrated?

Lohri marks the passing of the deepest winter and the sugarcane harvest, with a bonfire to welcome the lengthening days. It is also the festival of the folk hero Dulla Bhatti, and the occasion for celebrating a newborn's or a newly married couple's first winter in the family.

What do you eat on Lohri?

Rewri and gajak (sesame and jaggery brittle), peanuts, popcorn, til ladoo, sugarcane, and sarson da saag with makki di roti, followed by kheer on Maghi morning.

Learn the Punjabi Before the Bonfire

By 14 January you could know every word they sing round the fire. Alfaazo teaches everyday Punjabi with native audio, the Gurmukhi script and bite-sized lessons you can finish in five minutes a day. Free on iOS and Android.