Vaisakhi
-Rohit Kumar Parmar
Vaisakhi (Baisakhi) marks the Solar New Year (including the Sikh Nanakshahi calendar) on the first day of the month of Vaisakha, based on the Vikram Samvat calendar and is observed as a historical and religious festival by Punjabis/ Sikhs. This is one of the few festivals which falls about the same date every year.In 2021, the Lunar New Year and Solar New Year dates have coincided and several of the Indian festivals are falling on April 13, 2021.
It signifies a new year of harvest for the community. People gather to harvest wheat. Dhols (Drums) are played and people recite Punjabi doha (couplet) to the tune while harvesting. Sikhs hold kirtans, visit local Gurdwaras and community fairs. Nagar kirtan processions are held, and people gather to socialize and share festive foods.
Baisakhi also marks significant events including the birth of Khalsa on March 30 in 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh gathered his followers at his home in Anadpur, the coronation of Guru Gobind Singh the tenth Guru of Sikhism, and the proclamation of Ranjit Singh as Maharaja of the Sikh Empire on 12 April 1801.
On Vaisakhi day British colonial empire official, General Reginald Dyer, committed the Jallianwala Bagh genocide or massacre on a non-violent gathering against the colonial rule and exploitation.
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