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Gurpurabs: (October/November)
Gurpurabs
mean festivals and all Anniversaries associated with the lives of
the Sikh Gurus are referred as Gurpurabs .
Of
these the important ones are the birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru
Govind Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun Dev and Guru Teg
Bahadur. Guru Nanak's jayanti falls in the month of Kartik (October / November). The Tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, was
born on 2 December 1666 in Patna. The martyrdom day of the fifth
Guru, Arjun Dev falls in the months of May and June and that of
the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, in November. Guru Nanak, the founder
of the Sikh
faith,
was born in a Punjabi village (presently in Pakistan) in 1469.
Guru
Gobind Singh forged the distinctive identity of the Sikhs and
called them Khalsa (the pure) and made it mandatory for them to
have the five Ks - Kesh (hair), Kripan (dagger), Kada (bracelet),
Kangha (comb) and Kachcha (underwear).
Guru
Arjun Dev was burnt alive at the stake in the hot months of May
and June and Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded in Delhi.
Gurpurabs
mark the culmination of Prabhat Pheris, the early morning
religious procession which goes around the localities singing
shabads (hymns). These pheris generally start three weeks before
the festival. Devotees offer sweets and tea when the procession
passes by their homes.
The
celebrations start with the three-day akhand path, in which the
Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) is read
continuously from beginning to end without a break. The conclusion
of the reading coincides with the day of the festival.
The
Granth Sahib is also carried in procession on a float decorated
with flowers throughout the village or city. Five armed guards,
who represent the Panj Pyares, head the procession carrying Nishan
Sahibs (the Sikh flag). Local bands play religious music and
marching schoolchildren form a special part of the procession.
Free
sweets and langar or community lunches are also offered to
everyone irrespective of religious faith. Local volunteers serve
it with a spirit of seva (service) and bhakti (devotion). Sikhs visit gurdwaras
(Sikh temples) where special programmes are arranged and kirtans
(religious songs) sung.
Houses
and gurudwaras are lit up to add to the festivities.
On
the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev kachi lassi (sweetened milk) is
offered to the thirsty
passers-by
to commemorate the death of the Guru who was burnt to death on
this day during the hot months of May and June.
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