Wahe Guru Ji Da Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Di Fateh !!
The festival of Gurpurab or Guru Nanak Jayanti marks the birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion. The founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, was born in 1469 A.D. in the village of Talwandi in Lahore, Pakistan and was the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. The Sikhs do not worship idols and believe that God is formless and they stick to the guidelines set by the 10 Guru’s which are laid down in the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs celebrate the birth anniversaries of 10 Sikh gurus as Gurpurab’s with devotion and dedication throughout the world.
The fifth Guru, Guru Arjun compiled the Guru Granth Sahib and the final form of which was given by the tenth Guru, Guru Govind Singh. In order to give the Sikhs a different identity, Guru Govind Singh, introduced the five most important K’s: “kesh” or the unshorn hair and beard, “kangha” or a comb in the hair, “kara” or a steel bangle on the right wrist, “kacch” or short drawers and “kirpan” or a steel dagger. The main shrine of the Sikhs is the Golden Temple which is in Amritsar, Punjab. The birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji falls on Kartik Poornima, i.e., the day of the full moon in the month of Kartik. In the Gregorian calendar, the birthday of Guru Nanak usually falls in the month of November, but its date varies from year to year, based on the traditional dates of the Indian calendar.
Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab is marked by prabhat pheris or early morning processions in saddi Dilli. These processions begin from almost all major Gurdwaras on this day and slowly as the day progresses, moves to nearby localities. The procession attracts participation starting right from school kids who perform drills on the tunes of their school band, the Khalsa boys who play the gatka which is a demonstration of their combat skills through martial arts and also using bamboo sticks or even swords at times and elderly ladies and gentlemen singing hymns or shabads. Localites from the colonies in the vicinity of the procession arrange for free snacks enroute for the people participating in the festive procession. The celebration lasts for three days. Usually two days before the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, an ‘Akhand Path’ or forty-eight hour non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on at the Gurdwara’s.
On the Gurpurab day the celebrations commence early in the morning at about 4 to 5 am. This time of the day is referred to as the Amrit Vela and begins with the singing of the Asa-di-Var (morning hymns) and hymns from the Sikh scriptures. It is followed with Katha or the exposition of the scriptures along with poems and lectures in praise of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Langar or special community lunch is prepared at the Gurdwaras. The langar along with ‘Karah Prasad’ is offered to men and women of all communities. In evening, the Gurdwaras are illuminated and people visit them in large numbers. People also illuminate their homes with candles and earthen lamps and also burst crackers.
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