A sea of vibrantly coloured dresses and feminine camaraderie permeated the Elks Hall Saturday evening during the annual Lights for Life celebration.
Organized as a charity fundraiser, the four-hour event attracted 150 women and children who enjoyed wonderful homemade food, entertainment and the opportunity to share the dance floor and win a door prize.
Amarjit Khakh, a member of the organizing committee, said Tuesday they did not know exactly how much money was raised.
“We were running late with it, and even though we sold less tickets, the outcome made everyone happy.”
Snacks included samosas, pakoras, sweets and veggie platters, and for dinner there was rice pudding, gulab jamun, chilli paneer sauce and buttermilk with chickpea flour balls.
The food was prepared at both Guru Nanak Sihkh Temple on Mackenzie Avenue and Gurdwara Western Singh Sabha Temple on Pine Street.
“All the women who have time get together to do the cooking,” Khakh said. “Our committee gets lots of support from the community.”
One of the highlights performed during the dinner was a folk dance based on a tradition in the Punjabi culture where a newly-married woman goes to her family home until someone comes to take her to her the home of her in-laws.
In the dance, the new bride does not want to go to her in-laws. The middle man who arranges the marriage comes to try and convince her, followed by her brother-in-law and father-in-law.
“She is refusing to go until finally her husband arrives. She’s happy to see him and agrees to go with him to her in-laws’,” Khakh explained about the light-hearted skit.
Proceeds from the evening will go towards Cariboo Memorial Hospital. To date thousands of dollars have been raised by the event for local charities.
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