About Baisakhi festival
Baisakhi is an ancient festival celebrated in Punjab region. Focusing on the Sikh community, the day seems to be very important. The Hindu solar calendar observes this year as the Sikh New Year. For Sikhs, it is not only a harvest festival but also a religious festival.
The popular Sikh festival, Baisakhi, is called by different names in different parts of India. It is also called Vaisakhi or Basao. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Vaisakh.
This festival dominates the northern part of the country. It marks the beginning of the spring festival and is observed with great enthusiasm
What does Baisakhi mean?
The origins of the Baisakhi festival date back to 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa, a group of pious Sikhs. With this, the Sikh Guru abolished the distinction between the Sikh community and the upper and lower.
Since then, Baisakhi is considered an important festival among the Sikhs. Apart from the religious significance, Baisakhi is also an important agricultural festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy among the farmers.
Baisakhi: History
Baisakhi is both a religious festival and a harvest festival for the Sikh community. On March 30, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa, or “pure” Sikh community.
He would have removed the distinction between the upper and lower divisions and declared that all men are created equal. The Guru tradition of Sikhism was eventually abandoned in the Guru Granth Sahib
Celebration of Baisakhi festival
Baisakhi is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. Farmers rejoice because of the festival because they Baisakhi is the time of harvesting of crops. Being prosperous and productive, they look forward to celebrating Baisakhi with great enthusiasm.
For Sikhs mostly from Punjab, Baisakhi is one of the biggest festivals as it marks the founding date of the Khalsa Panth by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Sikh communities all over the world celebrate Baisakhi by participating in special prayer meetings and Baisakhi ceremonies.
The Baisakhi festival of the Sikhs
Sikhs celebrate this very important day of their religion with joy and devotion. They bathe early, wear new clothes and go to the neighborhood gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) to participate in a special prayer meeting scheduled for that day.
After the special ardas of kirtan (religious songs) and speeches, kada prasad (sweet semolina) is distributed to all present. Later, people sit in queues to eat langar or lunch prepared by kar sevaks or volunteers.
A grand Baisakhi festival is celebrated at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Many Sikhs try to visit the Golden Temple at this time. The Khalsa Panth was founded in Anandpur Sahib in 1699.
Another highlight of the Baisakhi celebrations of the Sikhs is the Baisakhi procession or nagar kirtan that goes through the city under the guidance of the Panj Piaras or five lovers. Men, women and children actively participate in the Baiskhi process.
Mock duels, religious music groups, and bhangra and gida dance scenes make the Baisakhi process colorful and colorful.
Later in the evening, people share greetings with friends and relatives, often with boxes of sweets or other traditional gifts.
Baisakhi Festival in India
The auspicious day of Baisakhi is celebrated all over India, but under different names and in different ways of celebration. People in Assam celebrate April 13 as Rongali Bihu, while people in West Bengal celebrate it as Naba Barsha.
Bihar celebrates Baisakhi as Vaishakha to honor the sun god, Surya, while Kerala celebrates it as Vishu and Tamil Nadu as Puthandu. In Kashmir, Baisakhi is marked by ceremonial bathing and general feasting as devotees in Himachal Pradesh flock to the Jwalamukhi temple and take a holy bath in the hot water.
Celebration
Mentioned above, this is a water harvesting festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Punjab. Like everything else in Punjab, this festival is also full of fun, color and joy.
People perform bhangra and gidda, gurudwaras hold kirtan, and Sikhs visit and bathe in rivers or lakes before going to gurudwaras. In addition, a community festival and nagar kirtan are held on this day.
Baisakhi – Harvest festival
We all know that Punjab is rich in agriculture, so it is important to celebrate the harvest season. Baisakhi is important for farmers as the day commemorates the harvest of rabi crops.
This day is a special event for farmers and is seen as a day of gratitude to the gods and natural resources. To celebrate the day, farmers wear new clothes, go to Gurudwaras, dance, eat good food and have fun.
Interesting facts to know about Baisakhi Festival
Baisakhi Day marks the birth of the Khalsa Panth, so it has great significance for the Sikhs.
Baisakhi festival is also important for Hindus as it is on this day in 1875 that Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
It was on the day of Baisakhi in 1567 that Guru Amar Das first established Baisakhi as one of the special days when all the Sikhs gather to receive the blessings of the Guru at Goindwal.
For Buddhists, Baisakhi is a significant day, because according to popular legend, it was on this auspicious day that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment or Nirvana under the Mahabodhi tree in the city. Gaya.
