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Happy Vaisakhi
Beginning as a grain harvest festival in Punjab - an area of northern India this event has taken place on 13th or 14th April every year for many centuries throughout India and marks the start of the Hindu solar New Year.
Farmers in the Punjab use Vaisakhi as an opportunity to give thanks for a plentiful harvest and pray for a good one in the year to come. It was at Vaisakhi in 1699, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the Khalsa Panth in the city of Anandpur Sahib and is one of the most important celebrations in the Sikh calendar
The Khalsa were created to fight oppression and uphold basic human rights and the freedom for all people to practice their religious beliefs. The first five men to be baptised were known as the Panj Pyare (five beloved).
To celebrate Vaisakhi, Sikhs will visit places of worship called Gurdwaras’ decorated for the occasion. They will often participate in special processions through the streets.
Mr Parmjit Singh Thiara, Sikh Chaplain at NUH, said: “Vaisakhi for me as a Sikh is perhaps the most important day of the year. It’s the day that our tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji decorated Sikhs and gave them the five Ks. It’s the birth of our religion”
If you are celebrating we wish you a very happy Vaisakhi.