Are You Looking for Lohri Return Gifts in a Budget to Give to Guests at Your Lohri Party? 10 Gift Ideas for Those Who Have Attended Your Event

Lohri is a harvest festival celebrated in Northern India, mainly Punjab and Haryana, on the thirteenth of January every year. The celebration of Lohri is associated with the harvest of the Rabi crops. It’s a festival celebrated by both the Sikhs and the Hindus. The main attraction of this festival is the building of the Lohri bonfire. The large farming community of Northern India celebrate Lohri by offering up their harvested crops to the fire God. Lohri also marks the end of the Financial Year and the beginning of a new one the day after. Some believe that Lohri is celebrated to mark the passing of the winter solstice. The ancient belief behind the celebration of Lohri is the worship of the sun God and also the Goddess of Fire, Lohri, from which the festival derives its name. After the bitter cold winters that North India faces, Lohri heralds the beginning of warmer days and plentiful sunshine.

There are some unique practices associated with Lohri. There is a custom very similar to the western tradition of trick or treating on Halloween. In various places of Punjab around 10 to 15 days prior to Lohri groups of young teenage boys and girls go around the neighbourhood collecting logs for the Lohri bonfire. In some places, they also collect items such as grains and jaggery which are sold and the sale proceeds are divided amongst the group. Groups of boys select a member from amongst them, smear his face with ash and ties a rope around his waist. They then go door to door asking for proceeds and when refused or given too little threatens to set loose the ash-smeared little devil. This boy then enters the household and smashes clay pots or the clay stove till his demands are met. It’s all done in jest and the boys also sing Lohri songs while asking for their Lohri items.

Because Lohri celebrates prosperity, buying new clothes, singing, dancing and merriment is a natural part of the Lohri festivities. It’s a state holiday in Punjab and is celebrated not only by Sikhs and Hindus but also Muslims and Christians. Though it’s not an official holiday in the part of Punjab which falls in Pakistan, it’s celebrated there with equal fervour. Lohri is primarily a harvest festival. The main harvests of this season are maize, sesame sugarcane, mustard and groundnuts. These are thrown into the Lohri fire as the people sing and dance around it. People who have celebrated Lohri, therefore, can’t imagine doing so without stuffing themselves with gur rewri, which is a kind of confection made using sesame seeds and jaggery, peanuts and popcorn. These edibles associated with the festival are all prepared using harvest crops. In the villages of Punjab people feast on Gajak, which is a kind of peanut brittle made with groundnuts and jaggery, sarson da saag and makki di roti, spicy sautéed mustard leaf and corn bread, on the day of Lohri.

Dry fruits are a popular Lohri gift. Giving boxes of dry fruits on Lohri is a common practice. But if you are celebrating Lohri in the city and are planning to have a Lohri party, then we have a modern spin on the tradition. Why not fill Mason jars with dry fruits and give them out as Lohri gifts. You can buy mason jars from stores or online. We have these simple Mason Jars from The Retailer House. They have a capacity of 250gms and come with rust proof airtight metal caps. A set of six jars will cost you Rs. 397 on amazon.in. Decorate these jars as you like and fill them up with a mixture of your favourite dry fruits and nuts like almonds, cashews, dried figs, raisins, and pistachios. To put a traditional Lohri spin on it tie zari ribbons around the lid. Attach a little-handwritten note or gift tag to each jar and you are done! Gift these DIY dry fruit jars to friends and family.

Eating popcorn on Lohri is a fun tradition. The connection between popcorn and Lohri is an age-old one and if you are a true blue Punjabi then you would know the reason behind this tradition. Therefore there can’t be a better Lohri gift than a jar of Nutty Tuxedo Chocolate Popcorn from 4700BC. This gift is sheer proof of the fact that you don’t have to give up on traditions, but you can make them your own! These signature handcrafted popcorn kernels are coated with delicious dark, milk and white chocolate with a hint of almonds. This is the perfect snack to munch on while watching your favourite movie or TV show, and will also take care of midnight snack cravings. Serve this at a party or take it along on a long car ride. This is a delicious gluten free snack, with 0% trans-fat. It has been made from certified Non-GMO corn, it contains no MSG, is cholesterol free and are packaged in high-quality reusable tins. A 125 gm tin will cost you Rs. 170.

The best gifts are often DIY. So this Lohri uses your imagination to get the best gifts for your friends and family. Create Goody baskets using these colourful wicker baskets from amazon.in. These Handmade Wooden Baskets from Vardhman are perfect for creating Lohri Gift Hampers. Made of bamboo, these baskets measure 9 x 9 inches and have a depth of 3.5 inches. Fill them up with Lohri sweets like Gajjar, Til Ladoos and packets of flavoured popcorn. You can also pack in chocolates, small costume jewellery, make-up items, scented candles, hair accessories or anything else that you want. Buy a pack of 10 baskets for Rs. 670.

Lohri celebrations often include buying of new clothes. People dress up in their brand new attire before gathering around the Lohri fire. Gifting clothing items on Lohri would therefore be a great idea. These pretty scarves from FusFus are a wonderful choice for a Lohri gift. These printed stoles come in a pack of 6. Each one has a different design. There are scarves come in floral prints, stripes and cheques. They are made of chiffon, georgette or polyester cotton. They measure 50 x 170 cm. These can be worn during the winter months and also during the summer. The whole set costs Rs. 589 on amazon.in.

Lohri is the time for feasting and merrymaking. Stuffing one-self with sweets is a part of any festival and Lohri is no different. Though traditional Lohri sweets are delicious, some of us prefer chocolate over everything else. Chocolate can be the perfect return gift for your Lohri party. These mini Potli Bags filled with chocolates would make perfect gifts for chocolate lovers. These colourful bags each contain six pieces of individually wrapped delicious chocolate candies. These chocolates are handmade and 100% vegetarian. The potli bags are made of brocade fabric with traditional ethnic designs. A set of six chocolate filled bags will cost you around Rs. 850 on amazon.in.

Traditional sweets like Gajjaks and til laddoos were once plentiful due to the hard work and enthusiasm of mothers and grandmothers. But nowadays due to our busy urban lifestyles, we hardly get the time or energy to make these traditional delicacies at home. Thankfully we have other solutions now, that lets us enjoy delicious confections without going through the effort of preparing them. Send your guests’ taste buds into a frenzy of nostalgia by gifting them this amazing box of Traditional Lohri Sweets from Ghasitaram. This Lohri Gift Box contains til laddoos and gajjaks which have been prepared without any preservatives and contain less sugar. These sweets have been vacuum packed to lengthen their shelf life. A box will cost you around Rs. 449 on amazon.in.

Hair prandi or parandas are a kind of hair accessory which is popular in northern and north western part of India. It consists of tassels, pompoms, bells and beads etc. Parandis are braided into the plaits and are considered an essential part of the traditional Punjabi look. In Punjab, parandas are used as a part of wedding attire, for ethnic festivals and even as a day to day look. Hair prandis would, therefore, be a fun return gift for your female Lohri party guests. Buy this beautiful Punjabi hair Paranda from Majik. This Pranda has been handmade and consists of black woven thread, gold tassels, metal balls and beads. It weighs around 25 gms. The hair Pranda is a beautiful accessory which creates a swinging movement when a woman walks. It’s not only a beauty accessory but is also a part of traditional dance costumes where it’s often incorporated into the steps. But this traditional fixture for Rs. 347 a piece on amazon.in.

Jhumkas are also a common accessory worn during Lohri and other traditional Punjabi festivals and celebrations. Jhumkas are earrings which have a unique dome-shaped design and hang from the ears to create movement. Gifting your guests Jhumkas, therefore, would be a great idea. These bright candy coloured silk thread jhumkas from Medonna Shoppe are the perfect Lohri Return Gift. These small hoop jhumka earrings have clusters of artificial pearls and thread work on them. They would look great paired with traditional ethnic Indian clothes or even with fusion wear. Each earring comes in its own plastic storage box. A pack of 16 pairs of earrings will cost you around Rs. 2,999.

Potli Bags are the perfect accessories to carry with a traditional ethnic look. These beautiful multicolour silk Potli Bags from Bombay Haat would make great return gifts for Lohri. These bags are made entirely of fabric with a fabric handle and a drawstring closure. They are small in size; around 8.5 cms. You can fill them up with dry fruits, chocolates, small packages of traditional Lohri sweets, popcorn packets or a silver coin. These can be given out as goodie bags at Lohri parties, but can also be used as purses to go with your ethnic look. Though small in size, these bags can hold essentials like phone, money, credit card or lipstick. These bags are easy to close and open. They can also be used to store precious jewellery or small knick-knacks. A set of 6 bags will cost around Rs. 299.

If you want to make your return gift quintessentially Lohri themed, then we would suggest that you stick to the basics. Sugarcane is one of the most important Rabi crops and therefore finds pride of place amongst Lohri offerings and is used uninhibitedly in making Lohri delicacies. Therefore these all Natural jaggery Candies from the Brand Kiva would make great Lohri return gifts. These candies are vegan, preservative and gluten free. These organic candies are made from pure jaggery with other added natural flavours. There are four flavours of candies available, chocolate, coconut, cinnamon and masala jaggery. Each one has a unique flavour. Jaggery unlike other sweeteners is a healthy option as it aids in digestion, is full of nutrients and is even believed to reduce the symptoms of anaemia. Jaggery also helps speed up metabolism and reduces bloating. These jaggery candies have been prepared using traditional methods while maintaining 100% hygiene and safety. A pack of the candy costs around Rs. 90 on amazon.in.

If you don’t live in rural Punjab but are a true blue Punjabi at heart then you can celebrate Lohri in your own way. Throw a Lohri party at home. If you have an open garden or a terrace area then you could have a small bonfire, but if that’s not possible then there are other ways to celebrate Lohri. Decorate your house using traditional props like painted clay pots, criss-crossed bamboo sticks draped with dupattas, maybe a few strands of hay here and there. Ask your guests to dress up in traditional Lohri clothes. Serve traditional Lohri snacks like Gajak, Til Laddoo, Jaggery Sweets, Popcorn etc. For dinner, you could prepare a traditional Lohri feast with Makki di Roti, Sarson da Saag, Kaali Dal, and some Gajar Halwa for dessert.