Lohri countdown begins in Amritsar: Preparations in full swing

Lohri is one of the many festivals for which preparations start many days ahead and it is because of this that families which are to celebrate Lohri, start visiting the markets in advance. The festival is an indication of change in weather, from cold winter to the gradual warmth of summer. The festival is specially related to families in which a baby has been born, or a marriage has been solemnised in the last one year.

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The families that celebrate Lohri, distribute sweets or other eatables among relatives and their near and dear ones. Tarn Taran being the district headquarters, it has a special attraction for people. Sweet shops are mostly busy points for people on the festival.

There are some sweet shops with their regular clientele. Quality Sweets, Arora Sweets, Amar Sweets, Gagan Sweets and Guru Kirpa Sweets are among shops with a special attraction in town. Amar Sweets is well known for its special Khoe Di Barfi, Vesan Di Barfi, besides other variety of sweets. Quality Sweets and Arora Sweets have been there before the time of partition. Quality Sweets shop was known as the ‘Much Mrore Chah’ shop decades back and the devotees came here on the monthly Chaudas-Amawas Mela for tea as it was a special item served at the shop.

Amar Singh, owner of Amar Sweets, started his business in an open space with just tea and mathi-bhujia and managed to purchase a big shop. His shop is near the Tehsil office and SDM office where customers come in large numbers as his ‘Khoa Barfi’, ‘Vesan di Barfi’ are among the special items and attract a lot of customers.

The ‘Kalakand’ is a special item of Quality Sweets. On Jandiala Road in the town near the railway crossing, there are a few sweet shops making ‘Muth Wale Laddu’ and Khajoor sweet. Fenian (boiled in milk) is their special item. A shopkeeper Ranbir Singh said their work continues the whole year but the Lohri festival is of special importance. He said usually they make 10 to 20 kg of items but on Lohri festival, production is increased. ‘Muth Wale Laddu ‘is specially distributed in families celebrating Lohri of their newly born baby or the marriage of a boy or girl in the family. He expressed his satisfaction over the change in tradition. There were days when Lohri was celebrated for a male child but now the festival is increasingly celebrated for newborn girls also, by distributing sweets and organising other functions.

Ranbir Singh said that Muth Wale Laddu is supplied to places in Doaba and even Malwa and is even sent abroad. Shops selling groundnuts also witness a huge rush. Sohil and Tohil are among those who have come from Uttar Pradesh to sell groundnuts and other items. Kulwant Singh, who has made makeshift arrangements to crush the juice of sugarcane, said on the day of Lohri, 8-10 quintals of sugarcane are crushed as against a mere 50 to 100 kg on normal days.

On Muradpur road, “Patases” of small and big size besides popcorn are sold in the wholesale market. In Tarn Taran, the groundnut prepared by the “Bharbhunja” community has a special taste at “Chaunk Nangen Pairas Wala “. The banned China string too is available in Tarn Taran market.