The ‘LOHRI’ festival was celebrated at the central park of Saket Dham Apartments with great fun and fervour on the evening of 13 January. ‘LOHRI’ is one of the main festivals of northern India, especially in the Punjab region, celebrated during the peak winter season every year. Saket Dham residents gathered in full strength at the venue at around 7 pm for the ‘LOHRI’ celebrations. Despite being confined indoors during the day due to the shivering cold, they were determined to participate in the celebrations, braving the windy and bone-chilling weather in the evening.
The ‘LOHRI’ festivities started with a puja ceremony, performed by the society’s pandit ji, and the sacred fire was lit after the aarti with the chanting of mantras. Initially, the holy fire was slow to spread, but it quickly gained momentum due to oxygen support from natural wind flows. As soon as the fire reached its peak, the residents started performing parikramas around the ‘LOHRI’ and offered a mixture of moongfali, revri, chirwa, phulle (popcorns), and til to the rising flames with prayers, as per tradition. The residents greeted each other by wishing ‘Happy LOHRI’. Moongfali, revri, gazak, and popcorns were distributed to the residents as prasada. Folk songs of ‘LOHRI’ were played, including the famous Punjabi ‘LOHRI’ song: ‘Sunder Munderiye… Ho… Tera Kaun Vichara… Ho… Dulla Bhati Wala… Ho…’. Residents also sang folk Punjabi songs and ‘tappas’, peaking the enjoyment of the celebrations. Hot snacks, including assorted pakoras and tea, were served to the residents towards the end of the celebrations. The residents enjoyed the snacks and warmth of the function, gathering around the bonfire till late hours.
