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Baisakhi:
(13th April)
Baisakhi,
derived from the month of Vaisakh, is New Year's Day in Punjab. It
falls on April 13, though once in 36 years it occurs on 14th
April.
Baisakhi
marks the ripening of the Rabi (winter)harvest. It was on this day
that the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa
(the Sikh brotherhood) in 1699. The Sikhs, therefore, celebrate
this festival as a collective birthday.
Sikhs
visits gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and listen to kirtans (religious
songs) and discourses. The holy scriptures known as the Grantha
are read, and the book is then carried in a procession led by five
leaders of the congregation, carrying drawn swords. After the
prayer, kada prasad
(sweetened
semolina) is served to thecongregation. The function ends with
langar, the community lunches served by volunteers.
The
bhangra (a dance form native to the punjabi’s) is also performed
on Baisakhi with great vigour and enthusiasm.
Processions
are taken out, at the head of which are the panj piaras. Mock
duels and bands playing religious tunes are part of the
processions. Schoolchildren also enthusiastically take part in
them.
For
people in villages this festival is a last opportunity for
relaxing before they start harvesting of corn.
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