Baisakhi is celebrated annually on 13 April every year, by people living in the
northern parts of India. It is a harvest festival for them and New Year
according to the Hindu Solar calendar. For those belonging to the Sikh
community, the occasion holds religious significance, apart from being merely a
harvest festival. According to the legends, it was on the festival of Baisakhi,
when their tenth and last Guru - Guru Gobind Singh - called upon the Sikhs to
sacrifice themselves for their community. On the same day, Khalsa was formed. Go
through the following lines to know more about Baisakhi.
On Baisakhi, Guru Gobind Singh established Khalsa for the Sikhs, thereby
eliminating the differences between the high and the low within the community.
Thereafter, Guru Granth Sahib is regarded as the Holy Book of Sikh. On the day,
a procession of Sikh devotees heads towards the nearest Gurudwara, to offer
prayers. The procession is entertained by enthralling dance performances of
Gidda and Bhangra. The celebration culminates by a grand community lunch -
langar - in the premises of Gurudwara.
For the farmers in the northern part of India, Baisakhi is a day to celebrate
the abundance of the harvest. It is a fun filled day for them, when they offer
prayers and extend their gratitude to Mother Nature for blessing them with good
crop. Through the celebrations, they expect the following season to be as
fruitful as the previous one. For the purpose, they gather in groups and indulge
themselves in merry making. They dance amidst the blossoming flowers and
harvested grain. On 13 April every year, the air is filled with festivity in the
northern states of India. Next year (2010), the festival will be celebrated on
Tuesday, 13th April.
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