Vaisakhi or Baisakhi is probably the most important date for any Sikh in the calendar. Celebrated as the Sikh New Year every year on either 13th or 14th of April, Baisakhi was a traditional festival of spring time celebrated for centuries around the Punjab region of India but since 1699 has taken on a great deal of religious significance for Sikhs. On Vaisakhi in that year, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa and established much of what is at the core of the Sikh faith today.
As the story goes, “On the Vaisakhi day of 1699 (the first day of the month of ‘Vaisakh’ in the Sikh calendar), Siri Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, the tenth Guru, formalized the concept of Saint-Soldier by introducing the Amrit ceremony (the formal initiation ceremony). The initiates were instructed to keep the five K’s: Kes (uncut hair), Kangha (a small comb), Karra (an iron bracelet), Kachh (a special short) and Kirpan (a sword).
They were given the title of Khalsa, meaning those whose life and spirit belonged only to the One Universal Creator and not to any ruler, tyrant or even a messenger of the Creator. The principle of One Universal Creator, a founding principle of the Sikh Faith, means that all human beings are children of the same One Creator, and are thus all equal, irrespective of their religion, gender, race, colour, caste or the like.”
Vaisakhi is all about community, progression and celebration. The festival around the world is marked with processions known as a Nagar Kirtan. These processions are led through streets and religious hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) are recited. In India the main celebration takes place at Talwandi Sabo in Punjab. Major celebration is also observed in Anandpur and Harmandir Sahib, this being the main festivals for the Sikhs.
The beauty of Sikhism lies in the ensemble of community, it being one of the most accepting religion and Vaisakhi is just another symbol of this.
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