Festivity grips Amritsar, city gears up for Lohri

Indian confectioners, Subash (C) and Shashi (L), prepare sweet Khajoor or Khajur rolls, commonly prepared for the Lohri festival, in Amritsar. Pic/PTI

Lohri, the festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season, is just around the corner and Amritsar, the land of the Golden Temple, is all decked up for the festival. The festival will be celebrated in north India on January 13.

Festivity has gripped the streets of Amritsar which are lined up with stalls selling savouries such as 'gajak', 'rewari', groundnut and jaggery. The festival holds a great significance for the people of Punjab as it marks the beginning of harvesting season and end of the winter season. The main event includes making of a huge bonfire which is symbolic of the homage to the Sun God for bringing in warmth.

"It is not usual, only around the festival we see this kind of scenes. Otherwise on normal days, at this time, the streets are empty," said a passerby, Ram Dayal.

Earlier the festival was celebrated for the birth of boys, however, now the celebration highlights the significance of equality between men and women. "I am here to buy savouries to celebrate the birth of my granddaughter. In earlier times, only boy birth was celebrated, but now everyone is equal."

Lohri calls for family get-togethers and lavish dinners with tradition 'sarson ka Saag and makki ki roti'. In the night, families and friends dance and celebrate around the bonfire. In the rest of India, the harvest festival is celebrated as Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated by flying kites. Pongal in celebrated as harvest festival in south India.

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