Punjab to Rajasthan: A look at how India celebrated Lohri this year

New Delhi [India], January 13 (ANI): India is celebrating the festival of Lohri with immense joy and traditional fervour today. The harvest festival, which marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of longer days, is being celebrated across states with bonfires, music, dance, and delicious traditional foods.
Lohri is especially significant in Punjab and Northern India, but is enjoyed across the country under different names, such as Pongal, Magh Bihu, Uttarayan, and Makar Sankranti. So, let's take a look at how states across the country are celebrating the festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Lohri celebrations in Naraina in the national capital on Monday evening and said the festival symbolises renewal and hope.
Earlier, the Prime Minister attended Pongal celebrations at the residence of Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

In West Bengal's Siliguri, devotees were seen gathering at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara to commemorate the festival.

In Odisha, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik marked the occasion by creating beautiful sand art at Puri Beach. The art created by him showed the spirit of Lohri along with other harvest festivals like Bihu, Pongal, and Makar Sankranti.
Take a look:

Indian Army personnel in Jammu's RS Pura celebrated Lohri near the international border with great enthusiasm. Soldiers were seen enjoying the festival as they danced and sang during chilly winter evenings.

In Mohali, Punjab, locals were seen celebrating Lohri with traditional dances and the beats of the dhol. People gathered around bonfires and sang folk songs. Similarly, in Amritsar, people took to their terraces to rejoice in the festive atmosphere by flying kites.

Himachal Pradesh's Shimla witnessed political leader and LoP Jairam Thakur celebrating Lohri at his residence. Sharing his greetings with the people of the country, Thakur told ANI, "My greetings on the occasion of Lohri and Makar Sankranti. It is a coincidence that the Maha Kumbh has begun today."

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also celebrated the festival at his Sant Kabir Kuti residence, with his family.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar celebrated the festival at his residence in Karnal as he joined in the traditional festivities with family and well-wishers.

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, BJP leaders, including Ravi Nayyar and BJP MLAs Gopal Sharma and Kalicharan Saraf, celebrated Lohri with members of the Rajasthan Pradesh Punjabi Maha Sabha.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also joined the celebrations. A video posted on the AAP's official account showed Kejriwal performing bhangra with locals.

Lohri is a festival that unites people as they thank nature for a good harvest and pray for prosperity. The celebrations are incomplete without bonfires, where people gather to toss sesame seeds, jaggery, and puffed rice into the flames. (ANI)