DJs, karaoke nights to liven up city’s Lohri celebrations

RWAs have lined up a bouquet of events to celebrate the winter harvesting festival with traditional pomp and fervour

As winter extends its march in Gurgaon, residents have already started making preparations for Lohri, a winter harvesting festival.

Music and dance around bonfires are the traditional way for residents to ring in Lohri. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Several residents’ welfare associations have lined up a host of events at their respective housing societies to celebrate the festival with traditional zeal and fervour.

Lohri is associated with the harvesting of rabi or winter crops. The day after Lohri is considered by farmers as the beginning of a new financial year. While celebrated primarily by the Sikhs, Lohri has, over the years, become part of the annual festival calendar for people across all faiths.

The essence of the festival is for everyone to come together and celebrate the harvesting of rabi crops. The RWAs hold events bringing all residents together and celebrating the auspicious day with traditional pomp and fervour.

“We will be holding events at the amphitheatre of our society to celebrate Lohri. The celebrations will likck off around 7am with the beating of dhols, accompanied by Gidda, a traditional dance routine around bonfires. There will be plenty of groundnuts and rewari, a sweet made from sesame seeds and jaggery, on offer and these delicacies will help bring out the essence of the festival,” Yashesh Yadav, president, RWA, Aura Condominium in Sector 110, said.

While most housing societies will ring in the festival with traditional music and dance, some RWAs are planning to introduce a western flavour to the festivities. They will hold events where music bands will replace dhols and DJs will liven up the festivities with their assortment of peppy dance tracks.

“We have planned a special Lohri celebration for newlyweds. These days, most couples are working and often miss out on celebrating festivals. We have arranged for a celebration in a traditional manner at our society in Sector 5 and all are welcome,” SC Kumar, president, RWA, Park View Residency, said.

Read I Gurgaon residents to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali this year

Fresco Condominium in Sector 50 has already arranged for a DJ to liven up the dance floor and keep residents on their toes, quite literally.

“We will also have delicacies such as peanuts and gajjak on offer and the DJ will pep up the mood and ambience with his music,” Nilesh Tandon, president, Fresco Apartments, said.

Some residents of Uppals Southend will put together a karaoke night around a bonfire. Residents have also planned on serving up a special treat for an elaborate dinner.

“We can’t wait to dig into the lip smacking dishes and enjoy songs and music around a bonfire. It will be an ideal way to celebrate Lohri. We will also invite friends from Delhi/NCR to celebrate the day with us. We have put together a group to take part in music and dance performances through the day,” Ankhi Banerjee, a resident of Uppals Southend, said.