Lohri is not a Sikh festival - A YoungSikhs.net special

Lohri is not a Sikh festival - A YoungSikhs.net specialWhat is Lohri? It is an Indian festival of fire in which fire is worshipped. It is usually celebrated to commemorate the birth of a male child alone. It is not celebrated on the birth of a girl as she is not considered important. Thus, it cannot be a Sikh festival as it discriminates. Also, Sikhs do not worship fire. Unfortunately, many misguided people do worship fire or Lohri because of its strong links to Punjabi culture. The birth of a daughter or son is equally joyous for Sikhs. The practise of giving sweets and celebrating Lohri only on the birth of a boy alone is a taboo for Sikhs and is entirely contrary to the Sikh way of life. The Guru Granth Sahib Jee, the final Guru body of the Sikhs clearly states on Ang 605, "In all beings is He (Wahe Guru) himself pervasive, Himself pervades all forms Male and Female." Guru Arjan, Ang 405, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -- Naam, the name of God is above all religious rituals, good deeds, or worship. Guru Nanak, Ang 3, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -- Those who are faithful do not follow empty religious rituals. Guru Nanak, Ang 75, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -- Pilgrimages, fasts, rituals, religious ceremonies or empty worship are all in vain. Salvation is achieved only by devoting worship to God. Guru Arjan, Ang 297, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -- Those who engage in empty rituals will never be free of the cycle of reincarnation. Guru Nanak, Ang 1332, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji -- Many engaging in ceremonial rituals and mislead others. This lack of true understanding distants one from God and brings about suffering and pain. Lohri favors the male off spring and clearly discriminates against females. Hence it contributes to male preference and also to the already rising incidences of female infanticide. Punjab has earned the dubious distinction of "Kuri Maaran Da Desh" (a state of girl child killers). "Infanticide has been practiced as a brutal method of family planning in societies where boy children are still valued, economically and socially, above girls."Traditions can be healthy and give us a sense of stability and belonging in our communities and society. On the other hand, unhealthy traditions and rituals such as Rakhee, Lohri, Kurva Chauth, dowry etc... while may be acceptable to some cultures, they are not in concert with the Sikh way of life. Those traditions that glorify male gender preference or encourage female neglect and perpetuate the view of a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter as a liability are not in keeping with the Sikh teachings. The Sikh Gurus encouraged women to be independent and share social and religious responsibilities rather than be subservient, docile or dependent.

 
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lohri is a punjabi festival and integral to punjab's culture...
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/14846-lohri-not-sikh-festival-youngsikhs-net.html

people..irirespective of their religion participate in this.

i think you are confusing lohri with holi, which involves fire worship...

in punjab,
lohri is time to meet relatives, have fun...

singhlions is correct..lohree involves fire worship, male domination, and havan ( food is burnt in fire).
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14846
It PREDATES Hinduism....and is a cultural thing now given "religious" colour by Hindus.
It is NOT a Sikh "GURPURAB" and shoudnt be celebrated in a GURDWARA.
As a purely social get together..(Scout Bonfire - comraderie comes to mind camp fire etc)..for fun..ok....BUT when it is connected to MALE CHILD BIRTH..then it contradicts Gurbani and contributes to FEMALE FOETICIDE !!! What a Great Fraud..use WOMEN to KILL FEMALE UNBORN...keep your eyes open...all these have hidden meanings and messages...subconsciously lohree ONLY for a MALE CHILD..means BABY GIRL is NOT WELCOME....how will the mother of a new born baby GIRL FEEL ??..OH only IF i had also given birth to a BOY..I would be celebrating Lohree...now this Kulahnee Girl..came and i cant be celebrating..what BAD LUCK on me ??? Will she be ready to have another GIRL..and miss lohree AGAIN ?? subconscious peer pressure/mother in law pressure..etc etc and LOHREE is OFFICIALLY all that PRESUURE out in the OPEN....THAT is why i oppose Lohree.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14846

Gyani jarnail Singh

Exactly the same reason why I oppose Lohri...........I have seen the faces of the poor women who have daughters at such Lohri events, and they all look sad or put a brave face on it.

We should have a national boycott of Lohri.............let us start with with purging this sexist festival as the first step in the fight against female infanticide.

WJKK WJKF

Ok fair enough Lori is not a Sikh festival, but it is more of a cultural event. Instead of boycotting it, why not start celebrating it for the births of girls as well.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14846

(Channel Punjab had a program that certain villages in India are doing just this. Not that I believe everything media prints or broadcasts).

It gets my back up when my mother-in-law starts asking me when am I going to give her a GRANDSON (not even grandchild). Also, when you get told to go to this place to do a mannat/Sukh for a boy. In fact I think mithai should be given out on the birth of a child, regardless of gender.

Very well summarised.!!

Not sure if it would work........I have been to one event like that and people still said they are doing it because they want a son really. I think the premise of the festival is flawed.

i agree with your point of celebrating lohri "only" if there is a son's birht in family..

but i think ur mistaken.. becauase traditionally lohri is celebrated as a get together...and before terrorism set in..it used to be a community festival

i agree with MKaur Ji that instead of boycotting it, we should use it to push reforms.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14846

btw...
i find it as a quite recurring phenomena in post,

where we tend to club punjabiyat with Sikhi and vice versa...

i think this is just a pure co incidence that sikhism was started in punjab...hence majority of sikhs are punjabis...

cultural festivals ,as long as they donot go against our faith's tenets should be celebrated with same gusto....whether punjabi or gujrati or american or british...


religion , ethnicity and culture are seperate entities...and should be treated seperately.. culture is very region specific...it stems from the topography and history of the region...
ethnicity changes over generations....

a sikh born and brought up in UK should be more attuned to the local cultural festivities..... clinging to a culture just on the basis of ethnicity only leads to confused people.... this is what we get when people start telling that Lohri is a sikh festival.... this gets a knee jerk reaction from others who debunk it as non sikh "banned" festival...

no one bothers to keep religion and culture seperately and understand whether Lohri is of any relevance to guys in UK /USA or not?????

i believe that ethnicity, religion and culture of residence should be understood and shared with youth as seperate entities...and aspects of each evaluated and accepted or rejected
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14846

i think doing so will help all grow up as world citizens......

I was told it was to celebrate the coming winter, or the leave of winter. Can't quite remember which one. I thought it was sort of a winter solstice. I do remember going to one and seeing relatives throwing food into the fire. Not only is that completely pointless, it is a slap in the face to all those who live beneath the poverty line in India. I haven't gone back to India recently so I don't know if my family still does this. The fact they aren't particularily religious probably also contributes to celebrating this. I think some people that do it only celebrate Lohri as a family gathering, not a means of asking for male spawn. But I can't speak for the entire Punjab population, just my family. Either way, the reasoning behind this celebration is flawed and serves ultimately no purpose. So all god-fearing Sikhs wouldn't celebrate Lohri.