,
England Vaisakhi (Punjabi: ਵੈਸਾਖੀ ,
vaisākhī, is also known as
Baisākhī) is a very important day for Sikhs and one of the most colourful events in the Sikh calendar. It occurs during mid-April every year and traditionally in Punjab, the festival corresponds with the first harvesting of the crops for the year. Historically, the festival has been a very joyous occasion and a time for celebration. However, since 1699, it has marked the very significant religious event of the creation of the Khalsa Panth. The Sikh celebration of Vaisakhi is known as
Khalsa Sajna Diwas, commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the
Khalsa Panth. According to Ravneet Kaur, Baisakhi is the harvest festival whilst Khalsa Sajna Diwas is the Khalsa anniversary celebration, coinciding on the same day. Vaisakhi traditionally celebrated the harvest of
rabi crops (wheat and barley), with Guru Gobind Singh establishing the Khalsa Panth on the day the harvest festival was celebrated, thus Vaisakhi and Khalsa Sajna Diwas are observed together. This gave Vaisakhi the added dimension of being observed as a celebration of the formation of the Khalsa, and is also known as Khalsa Sirjana Divas or Khalsa Sajna Divas. The Birth of the Khalsa Panth was on 30 March 1699.. However, many historical Sikh sources place the events of Vaisakhi as spanning over multiple days. Later,
Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as
Maharaja of the
Sikh Empire on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Vaisakhi), creating a unified political state, with Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of
Guru Nanak, conducting the coronation. A procession is lead through the city of Anandpur to mark the occasion. Other important places where large gatherings take place are Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo. A special celebration takes place at
Talwandi Sabo (where
Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the
Guru Granth Sahib), in the
Gurudwara at
Anandpur Sahib the birthplace of the
Khalsa, and at the
Golden Temple in
Amritsar. Vaisakhi is a harvest festival for people of
Northern India. Chander and Dogra (2003) state that in Punjab, Vaisakhi marks the ripening of the
rabi harvest. The harvest festival is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. In the Punjab, historically, during the early 20th century, Vaisakhi was a sacred day for Hindus and Sikhs and a secular festival for all Muslims and Christians. In modern times, sometimes Christians in Punjab participate in Baisakhi celebrations along with Hindus and Sikhs. The harvest festival is also characterized by the folk dance,
Bhangra which traditionally is a harvest dance.
Aawat pauni is a tradition associated with harvesting in the Punjab, which involves people getting together to harvest the wheat.
Himachal Pradesh A large number of Sikhs visit Paonta Sahib on the festival of Vaisakhi. According to Sahi (1999), Paonta Sahib "was the abode of Guru Gobind Singh Ji for a couple of years." Paonta Sahib Gurdwara is in
Sirmaur district in
Himachal Pradesh. The site is located near the river Yamuna. The tricentenary celebrations to mark the birth of the Khalsa were started from Paanta Sahib Gurdwara in 1999.
Jammu Gurdwara Dera Nangali Sahib in Jammu was established in 1803. The Gurdwara is situated in the Poonch district of Jammu. An annual gathering takes place at the gurdwara on the on Baisakhi when many people participate in the day-long function of Baisakhi. Dera Nangali Sahib is known as a centre for Sikhism in Jammu. The other important gurdwara is the Dera Baba Banda which is dedicated to Banda Bahadur. The gurdwara is located near Reasi. Baisakhi celebrations take place at this Dera.
Kashmir Sikhs in Kashmir celebrate Vaisakhi as a religious festival to mark the foundation of the Khalsa. Unlike in the North Indian plains where Vaisalhi is also associated with harvesting, Sikhs in Kashmir mark the day when Guru Gobind Singh baptised the
Panj Pyare. Bajan Keertans are held in all gurdwaras in Kashmir. However, the main celebration takes place at Chatti Pathshahi Gurdwara in Rainawari. Sikhs will visit friends and family in Vaisakhi. People will wear special clothes and prepare special food to mark the festival. Sikhs will also visit the gardens and markets. The mode of celebration is believed to be different to the way the festival is celebrated elsewhere.
Nihang The
Nihang () or
Akali () is an armed
Sikh warrior order originating in the
Indian subcontinent. Nihang are believed to have originated either from
Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "
Akali Dal" (lit. Army of the Immortal) started by
Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the
Sikh Empire, the
Sikh Khalsa Army. Nihangs mark Vaisakhi in their own unique manner. They will engage in martial arts and participate in Gatkas. They will also exhibit displays of horsemanship. According to Singh and Fenech (2014), Nihangs will move to the city of Amritsar on Vaisakhi day.
Sikh celebrations outside India Pakistan Pakistan has many sites that are of historic importance to the Sikh faith, such as the birthplace of Guru Nanak. These sites attract pilgrims from India and abroad every year on Vaisakhi. Pakistan used to have many more Sikhs, but a vast majority moved to India during the 1947 India-Pakistan partition. Contemporary Pakistan has about 20,000 Sikhs in a total population of about 200 million Pakistanis, or about 0.01%. These Sikhs, and thousands more who arrive from other parts of the world for pilgrimage, observe Vaisakhi in
Western Punjab (Pakistan) with festivities centered on the
Panja Sahib complex in
Hasan Abdal,
Gurudwaras in
Nankana Sahib, and in various historical sites in
Lahore. In western Punjab, Punjabi Muslims used to celebrate Baisakhi as a harvest festival, but Islamist policies of Zia-ul-Haq led to the ending of its observance, becoming solely viewed as a Sikh celebration rather than a pan-Punjabi one. According to Aziz-ud-din Ahmed,
Lahore used to have Baisakhi Mela after the harvesting of the wheat crop in April. However, adds Ahmed, the city started losing its cultural vibrancy in 1970s after Zia-ul-Haq came to power, and in recent years "the
Pakistan Muslim League (N) government in Punjab banned kite flying through an official edict more under the pressure of those who want a puritanical version of Islam to be practiced in the name of religion than anything else". Unlike the Indian state of Punjab that recognizes the Vaisakhi Sikh festival as an official holiday, the festival is not an official holiday in Punjab or Sindh provinces of Pakistan as Sikhs constitute a very small number in terms of population. In April 2010, the Federal Ministry of Minorities in Pakistan announced that Baisakhi would be officially recognized as a holiday. The Pakistani government welcomes Sikh pilgrims from India to celebrate Baisakhi within its borders.
Canada British Columbia In the
Province of British Columbia, large, local Sikh communities in the cities of
Vancouver,
Abbotsford, and
Surrey hold their annual Vaisakhi celebrations in April, which include two
Nagar Kirtan (parades). In Vancouver, the parade was first held in 1979 and is the largest annual single-day festival in the city. The parade starts at Ross Street Temple and makes its way through the traditional
Punjabi Market in the
Sunset neighbourhood of South Vancouver, attracting up to 300,000 people. over 350,000 in 2015, and approached 400,000 in 2016. The 2017 attendance in Surrey reportedly topped 400,000, causing organizers to consider future distribution of the festival over several days and local cities, particularly in areas of economic disadvantage which would benefit from the generous charitable efforts seen during Vaisakhi celebrations. Record attendance was again experienced in April 2018 in the 20th annual Surrey Vaisakhi parade, with the
RCMP officially estimating the crowd at over half a million people in a city with a 2016 census population of 517,887. Starting at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple (12885 85th Avenue in Surrey), the parade features a variety of floats, community groups, free food, live music and dancers and performers, and travels along 124th Street, turns left onto 75th Avenue, continues on 76th Avenue, onto 128th Street, then back to the Temple.
Kelowna's annual Vaisakhi parade is held a week after Surrey's parade each year and begins and ends at the Sikh Temple on Rutland Road.
Victoria's all-day Vaisakhi celebration features a parade that begins and ends at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, 470 Cecelia Road. The 2018 celebrations on 29 April would be the first held in Victoria in over 100 years.
Ontario In the
Province of Ontario, the
Toronto Vaisakhi Parade is held in April, starting at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds and traveling east to Toronto City Hall, finishing almost three hours later. Following the parade, dignitaries address the gathering until late afternoon. In the city of
Brampton, the Gurudwara Sikh Sangat temple and Gobind Sarvar Gurmat School hold Vaisakhi cultural events such as yoga, pagh (turban) tying, storytelling, and food fairs. In the city of
Malton, a three-hour Nagar Kirtan parade winds from Morning Star, Goreway, Derry Rd, & Airport Rd to Malton Gurdwara Sahib.
Prairies In the
Province of Alberta, the
Edmonton Vaisakhi parade is held in May and travels between the Gurdwara Singh Sabha (4504 Millwoods Road S) & Gurdwara Millwoods (2606 Millwoods Road E) temples. In the
Province of Saskatchewan, the
Saskatoon Vaisakhi parade is held in May, starting and ending at the Gurudwara Sahib Temple at 331 Lowe Road.
Atlantic In the
Province of Nova Scotia, the
Halifax-based Maritime Sikh Society holds Vaisakhi celebrations in April featuring
Shabad Kirtan performed by professional ragis (musicians).
United Kingdom The
United Kingdom has a large Sikh community originating from the Indian sub-continent,
East Africa and
Afghanistan. The largest concentrations of
Sikhs in the UK are to be found in the West Midlands (especially
Birmingham and
Wolverhampton) and
London. The Southall
Nagar Kirtan is held on a Sunday a week or two before Vaisakhi. The Birmingham Nagar Kirtan is held in late April in association with Birmingham City Council, and is an annual event attracting thousands of people which commences with two separate nagar kirtans setting off from
gurdwaras in the city and culminating in the Vaisakhi
Mela at Handsworth Park.
United States Amongst Sikh populations in the
United States, there is usually a parade commemorating the Vaisakhi celebration. In
Manhattan,
New York City people come out to do "
Seva" (selfless service) such as giving out free food, and completing any other labor that needs to be done. In
Los Angeles, California, the local Sikh community consisting of many
gurdwaras holds a full day Kirtan (spiritual music) program followed by a parade.
Malaysia The Sikh community, a subgroup of the
Malaysian Indian ethnic minority race, is an
ethnoreligious minority in Malaysia, which is why Vaisakhi is not a public holiday. However, in line with the government's efforts to promote integration among the country's different ethnic and religious groups, the prime minister,
Najib Razak has announced that beginning 2013, all government servants from the Sikh
Malaysian Indian community will be given a day off on Vaisakhi Day. Vaisakhi 'open houses' are also held across the country during the day of the festival, or the closest weekend to it. == Buddhism ==