Kuri Mundey Di Lohri

Have you, a family member or a friend been blessed with the gift of a child, a marriage or prosperity recently and are looking to share your joy with others?

If so, the upcoming Kuri Mundey Dee Lohri 2007 – the third annual Trinjan Festival may well be the appropriate occasion to do so.If you are not familiar with this festival, you may wonder what Lohri is all about.

Lohri is a winter festival.

In Punjab, farmers celebrate the promise of a golden harvest. The addition of a new bride or a newborn also represents a good occasion for families to celebrate with feasts and exchange of gifts.

This winter festival of India is now celebrated all over the world and by people other than those of Indian origin.

In Surrey, this tradition was rekindled by a local group, Trinjan – the Punjabi Folk, three years ago, as a social statement on gender equality to increase awareness on the declining birthrate of female children compared to that of male children. While the Indian national female-male sex ratio dropped to 933/1000 in 2003, the ratio in Punjab was 874/1000, while the ratio in Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, was 773/1000.

“While these statistics are alarming and the trend is not getting any better, I wanted to focus on women as positive role models and help families acknowledge that a female child is just as a precious gift as a male child,” said Amrinder (Amy) Ghuman, founder of Trinjan and organizer of the Kuri Mundey Dee Lohri.

This is perhaps one of the reasons why several organizations have come forward and lent their support to Ghuman in observing this festival that promotes equality. Delta Hospital Foundation is one of Trinjan’s primary partners that has dedicated one of its wards (women’s examination room) to Mata Gujriji, a symbol of sacrifice.

“The amount of community support that I have received also encouraged me to reflect on the recent violence that Indo-Canadian women have faced recently in the Lower Mainland and the suffering that is faced by children as a result of family violence in all communities”, says Ghuman. “This is one of the reasons why my team decided to dedicate the Kuri-Mundey Dee Lohri to all children that are victims of family violence and this is their first Lohri.”

While this event is a social statement, it promises to be filled with cultural performances and traditional meals. It will open with the beat of dhols and people singing and dancing around the bonfire and serving parsad of til, peanuts, rayveri, puffed rice, popcorn, gajak and sweets, symbolizing a prayer to Agni for abundant crops and prosperity.

This year the Lohri will be celebrated on January 14 at the Dhaliwal Banquet Hall in Surrey. The bonfire ceremony will start at 3 p.m. and the performances at 4 p.m.

Donations for the Mata Gujri Ward at the Delta Hospital will be graciously accepted.

For more information, call Amrinder (Amy) Ghuman at 604-782-1436 or Jasbir Purewal at 778-995-7060.

—

Contributed by Jai Birdi

Source: The Voice Online (www.voiceonline.com)