Lahore: Mela Chiraghan starts tomorrow

[Naveed Yaseen]

LAHORITES are all set to celebrate Mela Chiraghan, the festival of lights that marks the birth of saint Hazrat Shah Hussain, which will start on Friday night and be continued until Sunday night.

During the festival, devotees light thousands of clay lamps to honour the saint at his shrine, which is situated near the Shalamar Gardens. The roads approaching the tomb are dotted with stalls to entertain pilgrims while food stalls will also be erected.

For the past many years, a large segment of the festival’s crowd comprises young people as most of them can enjoy smoking hash-laced cigarettes without any fear of being caught. At the tomb, pilgrims also toss candles into a large bonfire (mach) as legend has it that anyone doing this would be granted their wish by the Almighty while some believe that their prayers would be granted if they sit close to the fire. The final day of the Urs is reserved for women. Every year, nearly 7,000 female devotees visit the shrine.

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