Lohri and Kite Festival by Indian Ladies Association, Abu Dhabi

- Media Release

Abu Dhabi, 15 Jan 2015: Indian Ladies Association celebrated Lohri and Kite Festival at Recreation Garden, Abu Dhabi Corniche on 13th January 2015 evening.  The celebrations began at 4pm with Kite flying competition. The traditional folklore of Punjab was sung along with Dhol. Many families were present.

 

Hon. President of ILA Ms. Pushpa Shrivastava welcomed the gathering.

 

The Programme started with competition for children and later there were competition for ladies too. Music of Dhol was so good that people were getting tempted to dance. All enjoyed dancing with non-stop Dhol and they were full of energy. The tradional dance of Punjab ‘Bhangara’ was performed.

 

Snacks, tea, coffee and cold drinks were served. Dry fruits, revari and ground nuts were distributed to all for performing the rituals.

 

A Bon Fire was made and, people performed the rituals by going around the fire and putting the ground nuts in fire while chanting prayers.

 

 

Prizes were given away to families who had newborn babies, the person whose kite went up the highest, best dressed and best dancer among ladies. The winners of competitions held for children were also given prizes. 

 

Delicious Indian food and desserts were served for dinner. People enjoyed the program a lot and were given give aways at the end. 

 

Hon. President of ILA thanked one and all for making the event a success.

 

Lohri: is traditionally associated with the harvest of the rabi crops. The traditional time to harvest sugarcane crops is January and therefore, Lohri is seen by some to be a harvest festival. The general time to sow sugarcane is January to March and the harvesting period is between December to March with a 12 to 18 month cycle. Sugarcane products such as gurh and gachak are central to Lohri celebrations, as are nuts which are harvested in January. The other important food item of Lohri is radish which can be harvested between October and January.

 

The bonfire is lit at sunset in the main village square. People toss sesame seeds, gur, sugar-candy and rewaries on the bonfire, sit around it, sing and dance till the fire dies out. Some people perform a prayer and go around the fire. This is to show respect to the natural element of fire. It is traditional to offer guests til, gachchak, gur, moongphali (peanuts) and phuliya or popcorn. Milk and water is also poured around the bonfire by Hindus. This ritual is performed for thanking the Sun God and seeking his continued protection.