Lohri, our beloved festival doesn’t keep us guessing about its date on the calendar this year. A Punjabi festival celebrated happily every year on January 13.

It is celebrated to mark the end of peak winter, but also traditionally associated with the harvest of the Rabi crops. It is the time to harvest sugarcane crops hence Lohri is seen by some to be a harvest festival.

Anyone who has ever celebrated this festival can tell you the joy of eating gur rewari, peanuts, gajak, and popcorn around the bonfire. The flavour gets more boosted when you have your dear ones around you dancing, enjoying, laughing, celebrating and soaking in every moment of this beautiful festival. In Punjab’s village, the tradition is to eat gajak, sarso da Saag and Makki di Roti. According to one more tradition, “sweet til rice” (sesame) rice made with jaggery (Gur) and sesame seeds are also eaten at few places in Punjab, the reason behind this is that sowing time of sugarcane is January to March and the harvesting period is December and March.

Punjabi women sing “sunder mundriye ho...” around the fire which is the tale of a man called Dulla Bhatti who is said to be the “Robin Hood” figure at that time, stealing from rich and rescuing poor girls from the slave markets.

In today’s generation, people are getting aware of their body and health. But should they avoid getting involved in such festivals just because eating out of their healthy diet pattern will disturb their progress? Absolutely no, Right and smart way of eating is the new trend. Below are mentioned some famous foods which are eaten at Lohri, along with their calories and by doing what you can get rid of those calories-

FOOD ITEMS         CALORIES (per 100gm)                EQUIVALENT TO

1. Gud                           383cal                                       20 minutes of yoga + 15 minutes of jogging

2. Popcorn                    377cal                                       20 minutes of yoga + 10 minutes of Zumba

3. Revari                         440cal                                      30 minutes of swimming+20 minutes of Zumba

4. Till Gajak                     200cal                                     20 minutes of Zumba

5. Gud Gajak                  658cal                                      30 minutes of moderate running

6. Peanuts                      567cal                                      30 minutes of slow running

7. Sarson ka saag          92cal                                        15 minutes of jogging

8. Makki roti                  170cal each roti                      30 minutes of cultural dance

9. Gud Chikki                 483cal                                      20 minutes of yoga + 20 minutes of Zumba

10. Murmura Laddo      50cal in 1 piece                     15 minutes of stretching