Lohri, Pongal, Sankranti: Different Festivals, One Shared Feast

Yashika Maheshwari
5 hours ago
3 min read

India’s harvest festivals may be separated by geography, language, and ritual, but they are deeply united by one simple truth: when the land gives, we gather — and we eat together.

Lohri, Pongal, Sankranti: Different Festivals, One Shared Feast

Lohri in the north, Pongal in the south, and Sankranti across large parts of the country arrive at the same moment in the agricultural calendar. They mark the end of winter, the harvesting of crops, and a collective pause to acknowledge nature, farmers, and abundance. And in every region, food becomes the most honest expression of gratitude.

Lohri: Warming the Winter in Punjab

Lohri is celebrated on cold January nights, with families and communities gathering around a roaring bonfire. The fire is symbolic — of the sun’s return, of warmth after long winters, and of shared prosperity.

Food plays a central role, not as elaborate dishes, but as simple, seasonal ingredients:

Rewari and gajak, made with sesame seeds and jaggery
Peanuts and popcorn, roasted and tossed into the fire
Makki di roti and sarson da saag, using winter produce at its peak

These foods are rustic, nourishing, and meant to be shared. Passed from hand to hand, eaten standing around the fire, Lohri food is less about indulgence and more about community.

🌾 Sankranti: One Festival, Many Flavours

Sankranti is perhaps the most geographically widespread of India’s harvest festivals, known by different names and expressed through diverse customs.

What remains constant is its reliance on seasonal produce and shared sweets:

Til-gud ladoos, symbolising warmth and harmony
Chikki and peanuts, celebrating the harvest of oilseeds
Regional variations like khichdi, pongal, and pithas

Whether marked by kite flying, river rituals, or family feasts, Sankranti adapts to local culture while preserving its core message: gratitude for the harvest and hope for the season ahead.

🍚 Pongal: Gratitude Cooked Slowly in Tamil Nadu

Pongal is quieter, more ritualistic, and deeply rooted in gratitude. The festival centres around cooking rice and lentils in a clay pot until they overflow — a powerful symbol of abundance and prosperity.

The ingredients themselves tell the story of the land: newly harvested rice, lentils, milk, jaggery, ghee, coconut, and sugarcane. Everything is fresh, local, and seasonal — a direct reflection of the harvest.

Traditional Pongal dishes include:

Sakkarai Pongal – a sweet preparation of rice, moong dal, jaggery, ghee, cashews, and cardamom
Ven Pongal – a comforting savoury dish made with rice, lentils, black pepper, cumin, ginger, and generous ghee
Vadai – crisp lentil fritters served alongside Pongal
Payasam – a festive dessert, often made with milk, rice, or lentils
Sugarcane and coconut – offered fresh, symbolising fertility and abundance

Meals are traditionally served on banana leaves, eaten together as a family — reinforcing faith, patience, and gratitude.

Unlike elaborate feasts, Pongal food is about balance and nourishment. It is slow-cooked, grounding, and meant to be shared — a reminder that abundance is most meaningful when it is collective.

✨ One Country, One Harvest Philosophy

Despite their differences, Lohri, Pongal, and Sankranti share striking similarities:

They honour the farmer and the land;
They rely on local, seasonal ingredients, and
They prioritise sharing over spectacle

Long before sustainability became a buzzword, these festivals practised it naturally — eating what grows locally, celebrating cycles of nature, and ensuring food is enjoyed together.