A bonfire is lit and everyone gathers around it. Munchies, collected from each house, go around the party and are also thrown into the fire. The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy event in the family during the elapsed year, like the birth of a male child or marriage. The family then plays host to relations and friends wherein the eats take a back seat and merry-making takes over. It is then time for bhangra, dhol, gidda and light-hearted flirtation.
Liquor flows freely and guests are served dinner.
But then liquor is a modern introduction and is not customary and celebrations depend on how much does the pocket allow. A popular belief in this region is that if someone seeks a radish roasted in the bonfire lit by a family that has reason to celebrate, then blessings are bestowed on the family of the seeker as well. The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun along its elliptical orbit, thus heralding in the onset of spring. It is this transition which is celebrated as Lohri in northern India, Makara sankranti in the central part of the country and as Pongal-Sankranti in South India. The festival is spread over three days in South India and also signifies the beginning of harvesting.