Indore: Sindhi community will celebrate Lal Loi on January 13 after the sunset. The festival is an annual celebration to welcome the sun in northern hemisphere. It will be an eco-friendly Lal Loi (Lohri) as cow dung cakes will be used instead of wooden planks for the bonfire to celebrate the festival.
“Focus of Lal Loi should be on getting rid of old belongings and cleansing the mind in readiness for Tirmoor festival, which is celebrated a day after Lal Loi,” India Sindhu Sabha general secretary (Indore) Naresh Fudwani said. Tirmoor is the Sindhi name for Makar Sankranti, which is about worshipping Lord Sun, flying kites.
“The festival is never about destroying the environment,” community member Shankar Khatri said. Further, buying cow dung cakes helps cattle owners to earn livelihood, said Sanjay Punjabi, a community member.
Major celebrations in the city will be seen in Larkana Nagar, Jairampur Colony, Katju Colony, Jayjagat, Sindhi Colony, Sindhu Nagar, Dwarkapuri, Kamla Nehru Nagar and parts of Vijay Nagar, Shanti Niketan.
The festival includes offerings and special food for ‘prasad'. Women prepare delicacies especially offerings using sesame seeds and jaggery. Goddess Lal Loi will be worshiped and offered sweets. Women thank the goddess for fulfilling their wishes of last year.
