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Bay Area residents celebrated the harvest this weekend in a variety of ways – shopping for snacks, going to the Gurdwara with their newborns for Lohri, celebrating with a Bommala Koluvu for Sankranti and blessing cattle for Mattu Pongal were just some of the ways Bay Area residents celebrated this weekend. Take a look!

Harpreet Raja (unseen) and family spontaneously pose for a photo at the Sikh Gurdwara San Jose during Lohri on Jan. 13, 2022 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
A gift bag containing various items including a small kara is given to families with a newborn as part of a gift bag at the Sikh Gurdwara San Jose on Jan. 13, 2022 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Swapnil Tiwari (right) and his wife hold daughter Aarya has she tries walking at Sikh Gurdwara San Jose on Jan. 13, 2022 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Purnima Varma checks her grocery list while shopping for Sankranti sweets at the local Indian store on Jan. 13, 2022 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Sesame snacks and peanuts sit in Purnima Varma’s shopping cart on Jan. 13, 2022 in San Jose, Calif. The two items are combined with jaggery to make a sweet snack often eaten for Sankranti. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Aarush Gupta, 17, Mahika Gupta, 14 and Madhavi Gupta in front of their bommala koluvu for Sankranti on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Srilatha Vissa sits in front of her bommala koluvu for Sankranti on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Kalpana Dharmapuri stands in front of her bommala koluvu for Sankranti on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Jose, Calif. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
Anu, a temple volunteer makes a kolam in front of the Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple, part of the Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center, on Mattu Pongal, the third day of Pongal, where cattle are celebrated and honored, on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Martin, Calif.
Shreevidhya Palanisamy and daughter Makathi Yuvaraja, age 8, place manjal and kumkum on the cows at the Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple, part of the Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center, for Mattu Pongal, the third day of Pongal, where cattle are celebrated and honored on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Martin, Calif.
Volunteers place manjal on cows’ hooves at the Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple, part of the Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center, for Mattu Pongal, the third day of Pongal, on Jan. 15, 2023 in San Martin, Calif.

Sree Sripathy

Sree Sripathy joined India Currents as a photojournalist and CatchLight Local Fellow as part of CatchLight's California Local Visual Desk program in June 2022. Reach out with story ideas or comments at...