Punjabi Wing of ISC celebrates Lohri
MUSCAT: Punjabi Wing of Indian Social Club Oman celebrated Lohri, the harvest festival on January 13, 2019, at Mumtaz Mahal Restaurant Lawns. It brought the Indian community in particular Punjabi community together for the celebration.
Lohri is a festival of zeal and vigor and marks the culmination of the chilly winter. In true spirit of the Punjabi culture.
Men and women perform Bhangra and Giddha, popular Punjabi folk dances, around a bonfire. Enthusiastic children go from house to house singing songs and people oblige them generously by giving them money and eatables as offering for the festival.
Logs of wood are piled together for a bonfire, and friends and relatives gather around it. They go around the fire three times, giving offerings of peanuts, rayveri and sweets.
Then, to the beat of the dhol (traditional Indian drum), people dance around the fire. Prasad of til, peanuts, rayveri, puffed rice, popcorn, gajak and sweets is distributed. This symbolizes a prayer to Agni for abundant crops and prosperity.
Lohri is also an auspicious occasion to celebrate a newborn babies’ or a new bride’s arrival in the family.
The day ends with a traditional feast of sarson da saag and makki di roti and a dessert of rau di kheer (a dessert made of sugarcane juice and rice). The purpose of the Lohri harvest ceremony is to thank the God for his care and protection. During this festival the people prepare large quantities of food and drink, and make merry throughout the day and night. Therefore everyone looked forward to this day.
Thus the jubilation at a bountiful harvest becomes the reason for the celebration of Lohri. It is one of the most popular harvest festivals of Punjab, with fairs held at various places. Dancing men and women, sing and dance around the bonfire and people come out of their houses to greet one and all.
Around 250 members of Punjabi and other communities attended the celebrations.
The celebrations commenced with welcome speech by co-convenor Paramjit Singh, which was followed by encouraging welcome address by Convenor of Punjabi Wing, Karanjeet Singh Matharoo to welcome chief guest of the function, HE Mr Manu Mahawar.