Next day after Lohri comes Maghi. It is a popular festival of the Punjabis.
On this day fairs are held at many places, people go out for a holy dip
and give away a lot in charity. The special dish of the day is kheer cooked
in sugarcane juice. The most colourful and hilarious of all the festivals
which are celebrated in the Punjab is Holi which is celebrated on the
full-moon day of Phagun. A big fair known as Hola Mahala is held at Anandpur
on the next day after Holi. Villagers come from far-off places to join
it. Some festivals are held in the Punjab in honour of the Sikh Gurus.
These are called Gurupureabs. They are well spread over the year. There
are three important Gurupurabs. On the full moon of Karthik the birth
anniversary of Guru Nanak is celebrated by the devotees with great ardour.
Two days earlier a non-stop reading of the Adi Granth is started.
At different places religious congregations are held and hymns from the
Granth Sahib are chanted . large processions are taken out through the
towns. At night buildings are illuminated. The birth anniversary of Guru
Gobind Singh is also celebrated in a similar manner. The third important
Gurupurab is the one associated with the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev.
