Baisakhi is a joyous festival that takes place at the time of the traditional spring harvest in Punjab. In addition to the usual rites that take place at the gurdwara, Baisakhi is also the time of year when Sikhs raise the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. In the United States, the festival is usually the best attended event of the year, so events such as “taking amrit” (electing gurdwara officials) often coincide with Baisakhi.
Baisakhi is the most important celebration of the Sikh year, held on the first day of the lunar month of Baisakh which falls in the month of April. It is the time of the traditional spring harvest festival in the Punjab. In Amritsar, the Sikh center in the Punjab, Baisakhi is a great pilgrimage day on which Sikhs come from all over India to the Golden Temple. In America, however, Sikhs assemble from near and far at the gurdwara.
What actually takes place on this day, however, is almost identical to the rites observed in the gurdwara at any other time—the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the singing of kirtan, the receiving of prashad, and the sharing of the langar. Today, however, everything takes on a special hue. The crowd is larger. The dress is more festive. Specially trained Sikh musicians, called ragis, may be brought from the Punjab especially to sing kirtan on this holiday
Leave a Reply