{!-!} Vaisakhi Diyan Vadhaiyaan {!-!}

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CatcherInTheRye

@CatcherInTheRye

Trailblazer

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi, is a festival celebrated in Punjab with great enthusiasm usually on the 13th of April every year. However, Punjabis reside all over the world, so in some countries they celebrate it on the 14th of April.

This festival symbolizes the Sikh New Year and the beginning of the harvesting season of Rabi. Vaisakhi is one of the three festivals chosen by Guru Amar Das Ji to be celebrated by Sikhs, the others being Maghi and Diwali.

Why is it also known as Baisakhi??

Because it relates to the celebrations of birth of Khalsa and also depends on the dialect. In the Malwa and Doaba region, people simply use "B" instead of "V".

For Sikhs it has more importance due to the fact that; in 1699 Guru Gobind Singh Ji 'tenth Guru of Sikhs' laid down the foundation of "Khalsa Panth", that is the order of the pure ones.

Jo bole so Nihal, Sat Shri Akal

(whoever utters "the immortal God is true"will be blessed)

"Khalsa Panth"was established on 30th March 1699 by Tenth Guru of Sikhs; Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The term "Khalsa" is a collective body of Sikhs represented by Panj Payaras "the five beloved ones".

Why did the need to establish one more religion erupt??

During the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and Aurangzeb's reign, Sikhs had to go through a lot of tyranny. They were converting the religion of people of Hindustan forcibly. They wanted to make the country an Islamic territory so they forced everyone into accepting Islam as their religion.

Jahangir persecuted Sikh's fifth Guru Shri Guru Arjun Dev Ji, captured Guru Har Gobind ji and kept him behind bars for twelve months. Aurangzeb executed Ninth Guru Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji for saving the religious rights of Hindus. After the most determined meditation on this sad state of affairs,the tenth Guru came to the conclusion that tyrannizing was bad , but bearing tyranny patiently was worse.The Guru prepared himself for the struggle to win freedom. His army was to be based on social justice, no discrimination in the name of caste, creed, colour.

So he sent the Hukumnamas to his followers asking them to gather at Shri Anandpur Sahib on 30th March 1699. He addressed the congregation from a hill. He drew his sword and asked for a head, this sent a thrill of horror all over. On his third invitation a person called Daya Ram came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guruji took him inside the tent and came out shortly with blood dripping from his sword and asked for another head.This was repeated five times and then the five people came out of the tent unharmed.

These five were called Panj Pyare "the five beloved ones" who were ready to sacrifice their lives for their Guru. These were named as Bhai Daya Singh (Khatri), Bhai Dharam Singh (Jat), Bhai Himmat Singh (Barber), Bhai Mohkam Singh (Water carrier), and Bhai Sahib Singh (Chimba).

Guruji took an iron bowl and put some water to it,to which Mata Joti Ji added some Patashe (sugar cakes), he stirred that mixture with a double edged dagger (Khanda) whilst reciting the five Banis from Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji which was called Khande Baatte da Pahaul (Nectar). He combined the two swords of his grandfather Miri and Piri into one and changed the name of Sikh to Singh.The Panj Payaras were baptized and were asked to kneel down on their left knees and were given five full palms of sweet water to each Payara.These were named as Singh and collectively Khalsa. Then Guru Ji himself took that Nectar from these Payaras and became Gobind Singh from Gobind Rai.

Males were named Singh (Lion) and females were named Kaur (Princess).

"Khalsa mero roop hai khaas, Khalse mein haun karu niwas

Khalsa mero mukh hai anga, Khalse ke haun sadh sadh sanga"

Guru Ji provided them five jewels which were five K's - Kesh, Kanga, Karha, Kashehra, Kirpan.These five K's are a resemblance of "Khalsa".

Tikhi talwaar ne sanu janam dita, gurti mile e khande di dhaar vichon, sikhi sidak te sir dastar sohni, sada vakhra e roop sansar vichon

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Kalyani Nitin Bujone

@Kore-Soteira

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 9 years ago

Vaisakhi is celebrated on April 13th, and occasionally on April 14th, in the different regions across the world as the Sikhs migrated overseas.In Indian Punjab:

The main celebration takes place at the following three places: The Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the Guru Granth Sahib; two, in the Gurudwara at Anandpur Sahib, which is also the birthplace of the Khalsa; and lastly at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In Pakistani Punjab:

Vaisakhi is widely celebrated by Sikhs in Western Punjab (Pakistan) as well, with festivities centered on the Panja Sahib complex in Hasan Abdal, numerous Gurudwaras in Nankana Sahib, and in various historical sites in Lahore.
It is culturally and traditionally regarded as an important and significant Punjabi festival, further exemplified by the thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world arriving each year to commemorate the day at the sacred Sikh sites of Nankana Sahib and Hasan Abdal.
In April 2009, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee announced plans for formally organizing the event on a larger scale in the country as well as expressing intentions for elegant arrangements. In 2010, over 20,000 pilgrims were expected to arrive in Pakistan for the celebrations, a significant increase over previous years.

In United States:

In the United States, there is usually a parade commemorating the Vaisakhi celebration.
In Manhattan, the people of New York City come out to do "Seva" (selfless service), such as giving out free food, and completing any other labor that needs to be done.
In Los Angeles, California, the local Sikh community consisting of more than 20 Gurdwaras holds a full day Kirtan (spiritual music) program followed by a two mile parade in downtown Los Angeles with an estimated 15,000 participants.

In Canada:

The local Sikh community in Vancouver, Abbotsford and Surrey,British Columbia, Canada holds its annual Vaisakhi celebrations in the April long weekend, which often includes a Nagar Kirtan (parade), which an estimated 200,000 people attend.

In United Kingdom:

The United Kingdom has a large Sikh community which was established in the 1960s with the arrival of immigrants from the Indian sub-continent, and which increased in the 1970s with refugees from East Africa and in the 1990s with refugees from Afghanistan. The largest concentrations of Sikhs in the UK are to be found in Birmingham in the West Midlands and Southall in west London.
The Southall Nagar Kirtan is held on a Sunday a week or two before Vaisakhi, and it attracts approximately 90,000 people to the streets.
The Birmingham Nagar Kirtan is held in late April in association with Birmingham City Council, and it is an annual event attracting about 100,000 people which commences with two separate nagar kirtans setting off from gurdwaras in the city and culminating in the Vaisakhi Mela at Handsworth Park.

In Malaysia:

A band performs at the Vaisakhi day celebrations in Kuala Lumpur (2013).

The Sikh community is a minority in Malaysia, which is why Vaisakhi is not a public holiday. However, in line with the government's efforts to promote integration among the country's different ethnic and religious groups, the prime minister, Najib Razak has announced that beginning 2013 that all government servants from the Sikh community will be given a day off on Vaisakhi Day. Vaisakhi 'open houses' are also held across the country during the day of the festival, or the closest weekend to it.

Edited by FrozenSnow - 9 years ago