Baisakhi
Baisakhi is one of the main festivals of Sikhs and is celebrated with great fanfare in Punjab. It marks the first day of the month Vaishakh. In North India, it is the beginning of the Hindu New Year. It is a harvest thanksgiving festival that is celebrated on the thirteenth day of April.
The last Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth on the day of Baisakhi. On the day of Baisakhi, Guru Granth Sahib was declared as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs and all the followers of Sikhism were to revere it.
On the day of Baisakhi, Sikhs go to Gurudwaras and listen to the recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib and perform ‘Kar Seva’ Free kitchens or ‘Langars’ are organised on this day and ‘thaar’ charity is given to the poor. During the evening a procession is taken out in the streets with the Guru Granth Sahib and religious discourses are offered by the priest. The ‘Bhangra’ dance of the men and ‘Gidda’ dance of the women are quite famous in the country. The Gurudwaras are also illuminated on this day.
