Sunil Kakkar
SUNNYVALE, CA: Bay Area celebrated the Lohri festival on January 14 with all the splendor. One of the venues where Lohri was celebrated with prayer, traditional Lohri delicacies and dance is the popular Shiv Durga Temple in Sunnyvale. It was organized by Pandit Krishna Kumar Pandey, Acharya in Vedic Religion and Astrology from Sanskrit University Varanasi, India, and winner of the prestigious Bharat Gaurav Award for his meritorious religious and social service.
The origin of Lohri dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization.
Observed to celebrate the new harvest season, Lohri is one of the first Hindu festivals of the year. Essentially termed as the festival of farmers in north India, during Lohri, agriculturists thank the Almighty for a good harvest and seek his blessings for the future. This year Lohri was celebrated on January 14.
In other parts of the country, it is observed by different names, like Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti in Bengal, Bihu in Assam and Tai Pongal in Kerala.
On January 14, the traditional Lohri fire was lit on the temple premises after puja, and everyone enjoyed sesame and jaggery delicacies (Gachchak), peanuts and rice crispies as well as participated in the traditional dance around the fire.
The Shiv Durga temple is situated at 1170 Kern Avenue, Sunnyvale.
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