Vaisakhi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vaisakhi ਵਿਸਾਖੀ (Panjabi) बैसाखी (Hindi) |
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 Vaisakhi parade in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on April 15, 2006 |
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| Also called | Baisakhi |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Sikhs and Hindus. |
| Type | Religious |
| Significance | The birth of the Khalsa, the beginning of the harvest season. |
| Date | 1 Vaisakh (April 13 or April 14 in the Gregorian calendar) |
| Celebrations | Parades |
| Observances | Prayers, Processions, raising of the Nishan Sahib flag |
Vaisakhi (Punjabi: ਵਿਸਾਖੀ, Hindi: बैसाखी vaisākhī, also known as Baisakhi or Vasakhi) is an ancient harvest festival in the Punjab region, which also marks beginning of a new solar year, and new harvest season. Vaisakhi also has religious significance for Sikhs.[1] It falls on the first day of the Vaisakh month in the solar Nanakshahi calendar, which corresponds to April 14 in the Gregorian calendar.
In Sikhism, it is one of the most significant holidays in the Sikh calendar, commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1699, by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. It also marks the beginning of the Sikh new year.[2][3].
This day is also observed as the beginning of the Hindu solar new year celebrated by the people of Nepal and India in Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and some other regions of India. The particular significance attached to the occasion shows regional variation outside of Punjab too. In Himachal Pradesh, the Hindu Goddess Jwalamukhi is worshipped on Vaisakhi, while in Bihar, the Sun-god Surya is honoured.[4] The festival is celebrated as Rongali Bihu in Assam, Naba Barsha or Pohela Boishakh in Bengal, Assam and Tripura, Puthandu (Tamil New Year) in Tamil Nadu, Vishu (or Vaishakhi) in Kerala, Maha Vishuba Sankranti (or Pana Sankranti) in Orissa, and the Sinhala and Tamil new year festival in Sri Lanka. Besides Punjab, Vaisakhi is widely celebrated as traditional harvest festival in many northern states of India, such as Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In many places the day is marked by ritualistic bathing in sacred rivers like the Ganges.
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[edit] Celebrations
To mark the celebrations, devotees, irrespective of their religion, throng at gurdwaras, the Sikh place of worship. The celebrations start early as devotees, with flowers and offerings in their hands, proceed towards the gurdwaras and temples before dawn. Processions through towns are also common. Vaisakhi is the day on which the Khalsa (The Pure Ones) was born and Sikhs were given a clear identity and a code of conduct to live by. The event was led by the last living Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who baptised the first Sikhs using sweet nectar called Amrit. Around the world at Vaisakhi time, Sikhs and Punjabis reflect on the values taught to them by their Gurus and celebrate the birth of the Khalsa.[citation needed]
[edit] Punjab, Pakistan
Vaisakhi is widely celebrated by Sikhs in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is culturally and traditionally regarded as an important and significant Punjabi festival, and this is further exemplified by the fact when thousands of Sikh pilgrims from India arrive each year to commemorate the day at the sacred Sikh sites of Nankana Sahib and Hasan Abdal in the country. On April 2009, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee more recently announced official plans for formally organising the the event to a larger scale in the country as well as expressing intentions for elegant arrangements.[5]
[edit] Punjab, India
The main celebration[6] takes place at Talwandi Sabo[7] (where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the Guru Granth Sahib), and in the gurdwara at Anandpur Sahib, the birth place of Khalsa and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar[8].
[edit] Northern America
In the United States, there is usually a parade a few days after Vaisakhi. In Manhattan, New York City people come out to do "seva" (religious work) such as giving out free food, and completing any other labor needed to be done. The local Sikh community in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada holds its annual Vaisakhi celebrations in the April long weekend, which often includes a nagar kirtan, or parade, which an estimated 200,000 people attend.
Surrey Vaisakhi Parade in British Columbia, Canada is the largest known parade outside of India, estimate attendance grows 15% year every year and covers an area of several square miles.[9]
[edit] Jallianwala Bagh massacre
On April 13, 1919 British Indian Army soldiers under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children in the Jallianwala Bagh near the Golden Temple in Amritsar, on Baisakhi day. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired. Official British Raj sources placed the fatalities at 379. According to private sources there were over 1000 deaths, with more than 2000 wounded.[10] Civil Surgeon Dr. Smith indicated that there were 1,526 casualties.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Sikhism holy days: Vaisakhi". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/holydays/vaisakhi.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ Baisakhi Sikh Festivals Throughout the Year, by Anita Ganeri. Published by Black Rabbit Books, 2004. ISBN 1583403744. pp 20.
- ^ Baisakhi SIX RELIGIONS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, by Peggy Morgan, W. Owen Cole. Published by Nelson Thornes, 2000. ISBN 074875167X. pp 263-264.
- ^ "hinduism info". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ Vaisakhi to be celebrated in Pakistan
- ^ http://www.liveindia.com/delhi/Baisakhi.html
- ^ http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090415/bathinda.htm
- ^ http://www.incredibleindia.org/Fairfestivalcontest/cultural_festivals.htm
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/12/sikh-parade.html
- ^ Home Political Deposit, September, 1920, No 23, National Archives of India, New Delhi; Report of Commissioners, Vol I, New Delhi
- ^ Report of Commissioners, Vol I, New Delhi, p 105
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vaisakhi |
- Baisakhi
- Vaisakhi - History on SikhismGuide.org
- Baisakhi Resource - Established on the tercentenary, the definitive guide on religious significance of Vaisakhi.
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