Lohri used to mean...

...Love, Family, Fun and Laughter.

But now I can't even remember the last time I celebrated Lohri with my family back in India.

However I do recall that it was not a public holiday and how I always complained about that fact. I don't quite understand that to this day. It's more of a night festival. So you don't really need a holiday. Lohri isn't much of a religious festival as most other Indian festivals are. Probably that was the reason, we didn't get a holiday.

People have a sizzling bonfire during one of those freezing winter nights (I am talking about North India here). It marks the beginning of "end of winter". So people get together one winter evening and wave goodbye to the dreaded winter. Although due to global warming and what not, 13th Jan is not even close to the end of winter these days.

For me though, I didn't care what it marked. Although I do like one of the stories associated with Lohri and the song we used to sing along -

Dulla Bhatti, like Robin Hood, robbed the rich and gave to the poor. The people of the area loved and respected him. He once rescued a girl from kidnappers and adopted her as his daughter. His people would remember their hero every year on Lohri. Groups of children moved from door to door, singing the Dulla Bhatti folk-song: "Dulla Bhatti ho! Dulle ne dhi viyahi ho! Ser shakar pai ho!" (Dulla gave his daughter a kilo of sugar as a marriage gift).

But more than anything, I just liked the fun part of it. Loved how everyone came together and celebrated Lohri with bonfire, music, dancing, chit-chat and good food. And when I say everyone, I don't mean just family. I mean the entire neighborhood.

And today, all I can do is cherish those beautiful times.

All these festivals and every passing moment of my life remind me again and again, not to take anything for granted.