Celebrate Lohri With Elders this Year – Here’re 8 Wonderful Ways
The first festival of the year, Lohri is a popular Punjabi festival. It falls in the month of Paush (according to the Hindu calendar) and marks an official end to winter.
People in Haryana, Delhi, and some other parts of northern India also celebrate it along with the Punjabis.
The celebration involves the lighting of bonfires after sunset. Plus, singing and dancing around them. People create small idols of the Lohri goddess with the cattle dung. And place them under the fire for worship.
People also throw groundnuts, sesame seeds, and what they call Rewari and Gajak in Hindi into the bonfires.
The festival also marks the end of the Rabi season in the field of agriculture.
On this day, people pray to the fire god for prosperity with abundance and happiness for all.
Some people call Lohri – the Indian Halloween because on this day small children go from door to door (trick or treat style) expecting not candy but Rewari, peanuts, or money.
8 Ways for a Perfect Lohri Celebration for Your Elders
1: Visit the Gurudwara
Visiting the gurdwara on the festival of Lohri is a delight. First of all, you get a chance to understand the importance of the festival, directly from the priest.
Also, there is a bonfire lit in the gurdwara premises. So, you get to experience some fun there. You will also find peanuts and popcorn being distributed.
The cherry on top of this celebration in such a peaceful environment is a folk song like ‘Sundar Mundariye’ running in the background. Elders enjoy such folk songs a lot.
he whole experience is not only fun but also brings a sense of calm which is a necessity for elders.
2: Offer a hand in the meal prep at the Gurdwara
Elders love to spend their time in the gurdwara, especially for a fun celebration like Lohri.
So, while you are at the gurdwara with them, try engaging them in activities like that of making food for the visitors and also the needy.
You will learn to make some traditional food while your elder enjoys interacting with other elders.
The food that’s made by elders is much more pleasing than you can think because it will also have their blessings, which is a must for every youngster.
3: Distribute peanuts, popcorn, or gifts to orphans
Some elders love spending their time with the needy or orphans on such a special day. Why not take your elder out for such an activity?
Find some orphans to distribute food, clothing, and some gifts. The smile these orphans or the needy will have on their faces is very contagious. They are bound to make you smile too. Imagine the smile on your elder’s face.
Plus, both the orphans and your elders will have someone to celebrate the fun occasion with.
4: Go kite flying
Kite flying is a fun and rejuvenating exercise people love to do around this time of the year. So, invite your relatives and friends and go flying kites.
Take your elders with you. You can compete with them to make it more interesting.
In case you are wondering what to do if you don’t know how to fly a kite, don’t worry, it’s not very difficult, and you need no mastery. Maybe ask your elder if they can teach it to you.
For the elders, this activity is especially great because it can help them relive their childhood with enjoyable memories.
5: Have a family dinner
The fear of the pandemic has only reduced and not ceased. So, even after almost a year some people do not want to go outdoors. With elders, that’s a valid concern because of their health issues.
Even if that’s not the case for you, having a family get together on the occasion of Lohri can be highly amusing for your elders.
Prepare a good healthy meal for everyone. You can make Sarson ka saag, Makki ki roti, dal makhani, naan chapati, and many more dishes.
Add more fun to the get-together with games like Antakshri, bottle spin or fish in a bowl, etc.
6: Use traditional decor to decorate the house
Want to do something different this year? Decorate your home with traditional decor like earthen pots, old bandles, small colorful kites, hand-painted bottles, and wax candles.
Try wearing traditional clothes like kurta pajamas and salwar suits.
Make your own kites with colorful sheets and string. Engage your elders in such an activity and make the occasion memorable for them.
7: Arrange a dance party
While the traditional decor and wearing traditional clothes is a cool way to celebrate Lohri, arranging a dance party similar to what they had in the olden days is much more gratifying for elders.
You can hire a person who can beat dhol. Or a DJ. You can also merely connect your phone with speakers and play a folk song on which elders can show you their dance moves.
Make sure to invite as many people as possible to the party. The more, the merrier. It will also become a get-together which is splendid for elders as they often feel lonely and left out on other days.
Also, don’t forget to take pictures for memories.
8: Arrange a Havan puja at home
Not all elders enjoy a fun dancing and singing session. But most of them do enjoy the peace and pleasure that comes with a Havan at home.
So, invite a priest for chanting mantras on this special occasion. Invite your friends and relatives to join in too.
The procedure of Havan is splendid for cleansing the atmosphere and is very calming to the soul. For elders, it can be a boon if they suffer from anxiety, stress, or depression.
After the Havan, arrange a pure and delicious lunch for the priest and the family. You can prepare dishes like Rajma, rice, chole and prepare some traditional desserts like halva, kheer, and gulab jamun.
Summing Up
As we end this article, here’s a little something about the history of Lohri. It is related to ‘Dulla Bhatti’ – also known as the Robinhood of Punjab.
The legend says he once saved two girls Sundri and Mundri from being forcibly sold in the market of the Middle East along with many other Hindu girls. This event was during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar.
The whole incident became the theme of the famous Lohri folk song ‘Sundar Mundariye’. So don’t forget to play that for your elders on this special occasion.
If you liked these varieties of ways of Lohri celebration for your elders, then make sure to share this with your friends and family.
Help them make the day enthralling for their elders too.
