Gurpurab – The Festival of Sikhs

Guru Nanak ji was the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was born on Vaisakhi Day, April 5, 1469 in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District of Pakistan, now Nankana Sahib. It is declared as a Gazetted holiday in India. He was the founder of Sikhism religion. Worldwide, everyone celebrates his birthday as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, the full-moon day in the month of Katak in October – November. Guru Nanak Jayanti, also known as Guru Nanak's Prakash Utsav.

This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, or Sikhi. Guru Nanak ji had travelled far and wide to teach people the message of one God who dwells in every one of His creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. He had set up a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue. Sikh religion consists of festivals that revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus since these Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs. Their birthdays, known as Gurpurab, are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs. However, many people and organizations would like to keep the traditional date by celebrating on the Full Moon Day (Pooranmashi or Purnima) of the Lunar Month Kartik. The original Nanakshahi Calendar follows the tradition and celebrates it on Kartik Purnima due to demands by various Sikh Saints. Guru Nanak Gurpurab is celebrated by the Sikh community all over the world and is one of the most important festivals in the Sikh calendar. Sikhs celebrate this as a festival where you can see Prabhat Pheris. Early morning around 4-5 AM is the time known as Amrit Vela when Prabhat Pheris begin at the Gurudwaras and proceed around the localities singing hymns. This is followed by any combination of Katha and Kirtan in the praise of the Guru. Langar is organized at the Gurudwaras by volunteers, that is a free communal lunch where everyone irrespective of caste, class or creed should be offered food in the spirit of seva (service) and bhakti (devotion). Generally, two days before the birthday, Akhand Path (a forty-eight-hour non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs) is held in the Gurdwaras. At dawn, night prayer sessions are also organized in some Gurudwaras when evening prayer, known as Rehras is recited, followed by Kirtan till late at night. The congregation starts singing Gurbani at about 1:20 a.m., which is the actual time of birth of Guru Nanak ji and celebration goes upto 2 a.m.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Nanak_Gurpurab