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LOHRI festival as celebrated in Southern California, at the popular Indian Restaurant "SAGAR" in Irvine.

 

LOHRI FESTIVAL OF PUNJAB

Most of the NRIs used to go to Punjab to celebrate Lohri
but now they celebrate in North America


Los Angeles, January 15, 2011
V. Pawar/Gary Singh

The LOHRI festival has more of a social significance, rather than being in anyway connected to religion. It is more of an escape from the busy hectic and stressful day to day routine and constancy to a relaxed, happy environment where you meet your friends, loved ones, and family members, forgetting their differences. Its more about clearing the social gap, distributing sweets, visiting homes and meeting and greeting everyone. 

LOHRI is also a commencement of the harvest season. Punjab, being predominantly an agricultural province, makes LOHRI a very significant festival.

To celebrate this festival, the focus in on the AGNI (fire). This specific festival is a prayer to 'AGNI the GOD of fire. Each spark from the AGNI reflects abundance and prosperity from the harvest to family health, happiness and contentment.

LOHRI IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

We had an opportunity yesterday, January 14, 2012 to experience the LOHRI festival as celebrated in Southern California, at the popular Indian Restaurant "SAGAR" in Irvine. The owner of the restaurant, Mr.Gurcharan Singh Sander & Mrs. Baljit Kaur Sander were very courteous and complaisant and welcomed each and every guest amicably and with dignity. Their convivial nature brought light to the restaurant and good service, and was followed by the tantalizing dinner (must taste menu) and dance by the ladies, who were all dressed in the rich, exuberant and colorful traditional costumes.

Another highlight was of course the LOHRI AGNI PUJA, where everyone present offered the AGNI (fire), with phulia (popcorn) and mungphali (peanut) as they sang the traditional punjabi songs and rotated around the fire as they made their offerings, and asked for blessings from the AGNI to bring good health, happiness and prosperity to everyone.

LOHRI is also considered a special occasion for the Newly Weds and the Newborn. Mr. Ranjit Singh Sooch and Mrs. Gagandeep Kaur Sooch.were among the Newly Weds with their New Born son Manshandeep Singh Sooch. who seemed so happy and contented to participate in their LOHRI NIGHT.

It was also a pleasure to meet some prominent people who attended this celebration like Dr. H. Sahota a well known Cardiologist and Dr. Mrs. Sahota a Gynecologist and Mr. Harbhajan Samra, commonly known as the "OKRA KING". Their pleasant personality brought light to our table.


After enjoying few glasses of wine, Dr. H. Sahota was so happy, interestingly he started singing a song of Lohri which he has memorized:

  • Sunder mundriye ho!
    Tera kaun vicaharaa ho!
    Dullah bhatti walla ho!
    Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
    Ser shakkar payee ho!
    Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
    Kudi da saalu paatta ho!
    .......

an so on

Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi!
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! ”

These songs are sung by children when visit each and every house to collect the Lohri contributions.

 

 

 

 

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