Sohana villagers play Holi with carcasses, skeletons

Harshabab Sidhu

Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 11

Despite coronavirus (Covid-19) scare, residents of Sohana village, which falls on the outskirts of Mohali and has a population of 20,000, celebrated Holi in a unique manner.

Animal carcasses were scattered on the streets, skeletons were hung in front of shops and houses of residents in the village. Youngsters threw ash collected from a cremation ground, cow dung and mud on each other.

The practice of hanging animal carcasses and skeletons is not new in Sohana. Elders believe that this practice helps in preventing villagers from bad spirits.

Parminder Singh, councillor, said, “This practice is being followed before my birth. There is no belief or mythology behind this. Although some villagers have stopped this, but some are still following this trend.”

“We have become habitual of this. Holi is being celebrated like this since many years,” said a shopkeeper.

Naval, a resident, said, “We hid inside our houses as it was too risky to go out.”