Winnipeg's Punjabi community comes out in droves to celebrate Mother's Day early

Many will celebrate Mother's Day this coming weekend, but members of Winnipeg's Punjabi community got a head start on celebrating the special mothers in their lives.

Hundreds of families gathered at the Punjab Cultural Centre on Sunday for the third annual Mother's Day celebration. The event featured snacks and dinner, henna, a 360 photo booth, cotton candy and face painting for kids, as well as cultural performances.

"Moms need appreciation; moms do everything for kids,"said organizer Gagan Sidhu. "Mom needs one day to pamper herself.We just thought, why not celebrate together?"

Sidhu said more than 500 people were at the event, which she started planning back in January. There were different booths, vendors and performances.

"I'm proud to be a mom," she said. "If I want to celebrate, I want all mothers [to] come celebrate with me, too."

Mamta Rani said being with family and with members of the community was awesome. She even wrote a poem for all the moms out there and read it to the crowd.

"I'm spending my [quality time] with my nation and with my culture and this is more exciting for me," she said.

While the event was hosted at the Punjab Cultural Centre, Sidhu said all were welcome. She wanted to have as many moms as possible in the building.

"Mom is momit doesn't matter which community you come from," she said.