SIKH FESTIVALS, HOLIDAYS AND PILGRIMAGES

SIKH FESTIVALS, HOLIDAYS PILGRIMAGES

Festivals, holidays, pilgrimages do not occupy important places in Sikhism but they are celebrated. Sikhs regard every place on Earth as holy. Nonetheless, the spiritual center of Sikhism is the city of Amritsar, the home of Golden Temple. Major Sikh pilgrimage sites include Amristar, Patna and The Five Takhats..

Sikhs celebrate a number of holidays and festivals, most of them commemorating important events in Sikh history or associated with one of Ten Gurus of Sikhism. These festivals known as gurpurbs (the rising of a guru) are held on dates set by the Sikh lunar calendar. Sikh festivals that follow a solar calendar include Baisakhi and Diwali.

The Sikh calendar is based on the movements of both the sun and the moon. The year consists of twelve months of twenty-nine or thirty days. The beginning of each month coincides with the new moon. A thirteenth month is added every three years to adjust the calendar to the movements of the sun. The full moon has significance for Sikhs because Guru Nanak was born during a full moon.

Important festivals include Baisakhi in April, the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan in May, the Celebration of the Guru Granth Sahb in August, Diwali and Guru Nanak’s Birthday in October and the martyrdom of Tegh Bahadur in November. Sikh celebrations in Amritsar can be elaborate, involving large numbers of pilgrims and devotees. On Guru Nanak's birthday the Guru Granth Sahib — the Sikh Holy Book — is carried through the streets of Amritsar. Sikhs all over the Punjab erect roadside stalls offering sweetened milk to passersby in remembrance of the martyrdom of Guru Arjun, the fifth Sikh guru. Sikhs in India also celebrate the Hindu festival Diwali, illuminating their houses with candles and electric lights.

According to the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: “The Punjabi folk dances, gidda and bhangra, are popular performances during Sikh celebrations. Gidda is choreographed by women in gentle and lithesome movement. Together they celebrate nature and its bountiful gifts through the seasons of spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, and winter. Amid sparkling agrarian scenes, gidda captures simple activities: how they milk cows, cook mustard seeds, do needlework, fan in the summer, buy glass bangles, churn milk in the morning, carry water in earthenware pitchers sturdily balanced on their heads, and help with plowing and harvesting. Bhangra is traditionally performed by a group of men. It dates back to the fourteenth century, originating in West Punjab (now a part of Pakistan). But in modern times bhangra has become extremely popular with both Sikh men and women. Dressed in bright colors, the group dances in an elemental rhythm to the beat of a large drum, and everybody joins in songs celebrating Punjabi village life. [Source: Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]

Gurupurabs (Festivals for Ten Gurus)

Gurupurabs (often spelled Gurupurbs) are anniversaries associated with the lives and events of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism. Ten are celebrated each year. The most important is the birthday of Guru Nanak Many of these are local events, but three are celebrated worldwide: the birthdays of Guru Nanak (November) and Guru Gobind Singh (December) and the martyrdom of the fifth guru, Arjun Mal (May–June). [Source: D. O. Lodrick, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life”, Cengage Learning, 2009 *]

During these festivals, the Granth is taken out in procession in the streets of the village or city, bands and speakers are arranged for entertainment, and free food is given out. A complete reading of the Granth, which takes about 48 hours, is often held at this time. The "unbroken reading" (akhand path) of the Sikh scripture held on days associated with the Ten Gurus is done by relay of readers and takes approximately 48 hours.

Bandi Chhor in late October and early to midNovember, marks the anniversary of Guru Hargobind's release from prison in 1617. He had been imprisoned by the Muslim emperor Jahangir because of his efforts to arm the Sikhs. Hargobind spent several months as a political prisoner before he was released. This holiday generally coincides with Diwali (See Below). Maghi, on January 13, commemorates the martyrdom of forty Sikhs who were killed by a Muslim army as they fought for Guru Gobind Singh on December 29, 1705. [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Louis E. Fenech, wrote in the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: “All over the world Sikhs joyously celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak, the installation of the Guru Granth in the Hari Mandir, and the birth of the Khalsa. During gurpurabs, uninterrupted readings of scripture take place, intellectual symposiums are held, and musical performances are organized. Gurpurab celebrations also include huge Sikh processions with colorful floats carrying the Guru Granth and depicting different aspects of Sikh life. Throughout the gurpurab, Sikhs will stop fast-moving cars and buses on the road and offer langar (food and snacks) to the travelers. |~|

Baisakhi

Baisakhi, on April 13, is one of the most important Sikh religious holidays. It is also first day of the Sikh calendar and commemorates Guru Gobind Singh's creation of the symbols and rituals known as the Khalsa Panth in 1699 by the 10th and final guru, Gobind Singh. Temples hold 24-hour readings of Guru Granth Sahib. Men and women prostrate themselves in front of the holy scripture and collectively eat a meal of curry, lentils, potatoes, pudding and rice prepared in a huge vats that holds several hundred liters. The festival often features processions and kirtan devotional music.

Baisakhi (also spelled Vaisakhi) also honors The Five Beloved Ones, the first five men initiated into the Khalsa Panth. At a fair Guru Gobind asked if anyone was willing to give their life for the Sikh cause. Five men volunteered. Guru Gorbind entered a tent with the five men and emerged with blood dripping from his sword. Everyone thought the men had been killed but in fact they had been initiated.

The founding of the Khalsa brotherhood by Guru Gobind Singh is regarded as the founding of the Sikh nation. Baisakhi was originally a grain harvest festival for Hindus. Non-Sikh Punjabis still celebrate it as a grain harvest festival. The holiday is of particular significance in Amritsar, the traditional gathering place of the Sikhs, where it remains an important religious, political, and social occasion.

Sikh Diwali and Holi

Sikhs also celebrate the festival of lights, Diwali (Divali) on the same day as Hindus and other South Asian, but they have given it their own interpretation — , to mark the release of Guru Hargobind, who was imprisoned under the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Otherwise it is celebrated in similar ways as Indian Diwali, Gurdwaras are decorated with oil lamps or electric lights, fireworks displays may be held, and small children receive presents. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is illuminated and other festivities are also held. The date of Diwali varies according to the Indian lunar calendar, but it generally falls during October.

In the 16th century, Guru Amardas initiated the custom of assembling the Sikhs at the time of three important Hindu festivals — Vaisakhi, Diwali and Holi — and gave them a Sikh interpretation purpose was to wean them away from Hinduism.

According to the BBC: “For Sikhs, Diwali is particularly important because it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him, in 1619. The Sikh tradition holds that the Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned Guru Hargobind and 52 princes. The Emperor was asked to release Guru Hargobind which he agreed to do. However, Guru Hargobind asked that the princes be released also. The Emperor agreed, but said only those who could hold onto his cloak tail would be allowed to leave the prison. This was in order to limit the number of prisoners who could leave. However, Guru Hargobind had a cloak made with 52 pieces of string and so each prince was able to hold onto one string and leave prison. Sikhs celebrated the return of Guru Hargobind by lighting the Golden Temple and this tradition.” [Source: BBC]

Hola Mohalla — the Sikh version of Holi — is held in mid-March to early April and is intended to help Sikhs maintain their fighting spirit. Guru Gobind Singh added the observance of Hola Mahalla, the day after the Hindu festival of Holi (March or April), for the purpose of military exercises and organized athletic and literary contests. The holiday today is marked by athletic events, martial arts exhibitions, and mock battles. Hindus celebrate by freely throwing colored powder on each other to commemorate an event in the life of Prahlad, a devotee of Vishnu). Sikhs follow the same custom but for different reasons — it is a military exercise. The main place Sikh Holi is celebrated is in Anandpur, where a fair is held, pilgrims gather, and the flags of all the local gurdwaras are taken out in procession.

Guru Nanak's Birthday

Guru Nanak's birthday is called Guru Nanak Jayanti, or Prakash Utsav. The later means "Festival of Light," because it is believed that Guru Nanak brought enlightenment to the world. The holiday begins three days before the actual birthday and is marked by a reading of the entire Granth Sahib. On the day itself, the Granth Sahib is carried in an elaborate procession through the streets. The holiday takes place in the Sikh month of Kartik, which corresponds to October-November.

Nanak Dev Ji ( Guru Nanak) was born in 1469 into a Hindu family in Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib), a Punjabi village in what is now in Pakistan, 64 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Lahore. There are stories that were signs of divinity around him from the start, according to AFP, such as the time a cobra was found rearing over his head — not to attack him, but to shade him from the sun as he napped. As he grew older the Guru began travelling, preaching a faith based on equality and one God. He died in 1539 in the Punjabi town of Kartarpur, in modern-day Pakistan, where his remains are buried.

Sikhs around the world, but especially in India, celebrate the Guru’s birth day by gathering together to sing, pray, eat and hold sprawling processions to different gurdwaras. Some of the biggest celebrations are in Amritsar

Pilgrimage to Pakistan for Guru Nanak’s Birthday in Pakistan

The problem with celebrating events in Guru Nanak’s life is that te main places associated with him — such as birth and death place — are in Pakistan and most Sikhs live in India and traveling between the two countries isn’t always easy. But special arrangements were made in 2019 to mark the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s death . AFP reported; “The annual celebration has been given extra significance this year with the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, a secure, visa-free passage between arch-rivals India and Pakistan that gives Indian Sikhs access to the place where the guru died in 1539, now one of the religion's holiest sites. [Source: Zain Zaman Janjua, AFP, November 12, 2019]

Kartarpur, a small town just four kilometres (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan where he is believed to have died. The gurdwara at Kartarpur is so close to the India-Pakistan frontier that its white dome and four cupolas can be seen from across the border. But the perennial enmity between the South Asian nations, arch-enemies since Pakistan was carved out of colonial India at independence from Britain in 1947, has meant that for decades Indians could not visit — at least, not easily. Many had likened it to Muslims being able to see Mecca or Medina, but never actually able to visit.India has long been asking for Sikhs to be given access to Kartarpur, and last weekend their wish was finally granted with the opening of the corridor just days ahead of the birthday celebrations.

In 2019, thousands of Indian Sikhs took part a historic pilgrimage to Pakistan at the time of Guru Nanak’s birthday, crossing through a white border gate to reach the gurdwara at Kartarpur after India and Pakistan made landmark deal to allow the pilgrims cross the border. AFP reported: “Among the first pilgrims to cross over into Pakistan's Punjab province from the town of Dera Baba Nanak in India was former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who told Pakistani state media that it was a "big moment". [Source: Zain Zaman, with Aishwarya Kumar in Dera Baba Nanak, AFP, November 9, 2019]

Buses were waiting on the Pakistani side to carry the pilgrims to the shrine to Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak, which lies in Kartarpur, a small town just four kilometres (2.5 miles) inside Pakistan where he is believed to have died. "Our lifetime wish has been fulfilled, we never imagined this," said Manees Kaur Wadha, an Indian pilgrim who came to Pakistan last week after managing to secure a visa, and was already at the shrine. “"Since childhood, our elders had told us so many stories of Pakistan. They left (migrated) from here. But we never imagined we would ever be able to see it and have these feelings."

Pilgrims on both sides of the border expressed hopes that the corridor might represent something else — a thawing in the relationship between India and Pakistan. "Life is short," said Wadha's husband Davinder Singh Wadah. “"Everyone has to go... so why not to enjoy life and make this world a heaven, and I think this initiative is the beginning of it."

The opening of the land corridor comes just days ahead of the Guru Nanak's 550th birthday on November 12 — an anniversary of huge significance for the global Sikh community. Sikhs from around the world — including some from India, who entered through the main border crossing at Wagah after obtaining visas — have been arriving in Pakistan ahead of the celebrations for several days already. Pilgrims could be seen on both sides of the border readying for the corridor's inauguration, with those already at the shrine washing their feet and queuing to enter as workers laid out dozens of coloured cushions, bright against the white of building.

The deal allows for up to 5,000 pilgrims a day to cross. Pakistan has employed hundreds of labourers to spruce up the shrine, including building a border immigration checkpoint and a bridge, as well as expanding the site's grounds. Some residents in Kartarpur complained to AFP, that the government had cheated them out of land to expand the complex. Habib Khan, the 63-year-old imam of a small mosque just outside the gurdwara, said he understood their concerns, but that Sikhs had "every right" to visit. "This land is sacred for them," he said.

15,000 Sikhs Attend Palki Procession at Guru Nanak's Birth Place in Pakistan

A peace agreement between India and Pakistan in the early 2000s briefly created a friendly atmosphere between the two countries that a large number of Sikh pilgrims were able to participate in a pilgrimage to mark Guru Nanak’s 535th birthday in the place where he was born, Nankana Sahib, a small town in Sheikhupura district. The Dawn reported; Over 15,000 foreign and local Sikhs gathered at Gurdwara Janam Asthan to mark the end of three-day religious festivities. This has been the largest congregation of Sikh pilgrims at their holy places in Pakistan since 1997. Besides Sikhs, a large number of Hindus and Muslims also attended the festival. A majority of local pilgrims belonged to Nankana Sahib, Swat, Mangora, Karachi, Kashmore, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Para Chanar and Jacobabad. [Source: The Dawn, November 27, 2004]

Draped in colourful dresses, the Sikhs brought out the Palki with Granth Sahib from Gurduwara Janam Asthan and carried it to seven other gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib — Paiti Sahib, Palia Sahib, Tambu Sahib, Panjhvin Padshahi, Chehnvin Padshahi, Salji Sahib and Giyara Sahib — to complete the main religious ceremony called Nagar Kirtan.

The festival ended midnight after a prayer ceremony called Irdaas. On their way to the gurdwaras, the pilgrims were showered with flower petals as hundreds of locals witnessed the scene from the rooftops of their houses. Most of the pilgrims marched along the Palki procession barefooted. The youngsters performed bhangra (dance) and children fired crackers all their way to the gurdwaras. Police and scouts were deployed on the procession routes to ensure security of the pilgrims. All vehicles were parked some 100 yards away from the gurdwara premises.

The pilgrims in the gurduwara were engaged in different activities. Elderly women were busy preparing and serving meals to their families and young girls surrounded bangle stalls established by the local Sikhs. Those who had no appetite for langar (free meal) preferred canteen food which was available at higher rates. Outside the gurduwara, few make-shift food stalls were also established.

Some five Hindu girls of Jacobabad who refused to disclose their names said that hundreds of Hindus of their area used to attend the festival every year. "We attend it as the guru was our spiritual leader as well," they said. During the three-day festival, the girls said they used to wake up by 3am. After offering prayers they started doing saiva (cleaning of gurduwara and preparing meals). After 10am they used to visit other gurdwaras and roam the town for shopping. Gurshran Singh of India and several others complained that non-availability of proper accommodation was a major problem for them.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); “Encyclopedia of the World Cultures: Volume 3 South Asia “ edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New York, 1994); “The Creators” by Daniel Boorstin; “A Guide to Angkor: an Introduction to the Temples” by Dawn Rooney (Asia Book) for Information on temples and architecture. National Geographic, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2023