14th April marks the holy festival of Vaisakhi across the globe, commemorating the important religious event in Sikhism.
Vaisakhi is of utmost significance and value to followers of the Sikh faith, as it recognises the birth of Guru Gobind Singh’s Khalsa.it commemorates the year, 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh founded the order of the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh was a spiritual leader, warrior, poet and a philosopher.
Khalsa and the Panj Pyare
As per Sikh beliefs, Guru Gobind Singh called all Sikhs to the Indian city of Anandpur Sahib, in Punjab, on 14th April 1699.
After the arrival of everyone at the gathering, Guru Gobind Singh asked all the attendees to uphold their faith and preserve the religion. He is then said to have lifted his sword and asked the crowd to step forward if they were prepared to die for their faith.
Five men stepped forward and they were taken into a tent separately. After a short while, Guru Gobind Singh re-emerged from the tent with a bloodied sword, along with the five men behind him who were dressed in blue garments.
Guru Gobind Singh addressed the five men as the “Panj Pyare”, meaning the Five Beloved Ones. The five men were baptised and to this day, they are known as the first members of the Khalsa.
The Guru said that the Panj Pyare would be an embodiment of himself. He said, “Where there are Panj Pyare, there I am. When the Five meet, they are the holiest of the holy.”
Vaisakhi is also an important day for farmers and agriculture. Farmers show their gratitude for the harvest and hope for another good year. In Punjab, Vaisakhi is also a time to celebrate spring harvest and vegetation.
Vaisakhi in the UK
The occasion is celebrated with great gusto in the UK as well. On 28th April, Vaisakhi celebrations will be held at Trafalgar Square in London, between 1pm- 6pm. The event, which is free to enter, will have live stage performances, kirtan and spiritual music, traditional food and drinks as well as langar, community groups and charities, turban tying, Punjabi retail, fun kids’ activities, plus much more.
There will be several other celebrations marking Vaisakhi in Britain. Most celebrations will have Sikhs commemorating the day with processions, also known as “nagar kirtan”. A nagar kirtan will be led by five men representing the Panj Pyare, followed by performers and dhol players.
IIW (Inspiring Indian Women) celebrates Vaisakhi in London
On 8th April, pre-Vaisakhi celebrations were held to highlight the need for peace and harmony among neighbouring nations – India and Pakistan, just a week before the Commonwealth Summit in London. The event was also attended by few ladies from Pakistan.
When Bengalis, Maharashtrians, Gujarati’s, Assamese, Haryanvi's, U.P, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Goa, Maharashtra Jains, Christians, Hindus, Muslims all came together for this Baishakhi Celebration on 8th April at Siddhashram Shakti Centre, Harrow. Ladies from as far as Wimbledon, Southall, Uxbridge, Central London to East London, Wembley , Neasden and various far off places took out time and joined the celebrations
When IIW decided to celebrate Vaisakhi, the ladies jumped at the idea and the practice to perform Giddha and shopping for parande and patiyala started in full swing. The all Veg Punjabi cuisines from Dal Makhani, Kadhi chawal, Biryani, Jilebiyan, Dahi Bhalle, Makai ka saag, Chole Bhature, Jal Jeera Water, Veg Korma, Chane ki Daal and much more. The kids had fruit cream, Popcorn, chips.
