Sikh Festivals and the Calendar Problem

The dates of Sikh festivals have traditionally been defined by using a lunar calendar, with the result that the festivals were not on the same Western date each year.

Recently a new calendar has been introduced to fix this problem by lining up with the Western calendar so that Sikh festival dates are the same each year.

Unfortunately not all Sikh organisations approve of this calendar, with the result that there are now several dates for most festivals, depending on the calendar you choose.

Vaisakha(Baisakhi)

Unlike other Sikh festivals, Vaisakhi doesn't move around the Western calendar and has always been celebrated on 13 or 14 April.

For the first 5 years of this Millennium it will be on April 13.

Vaisakhi is the Sikh New Year festival. It's also the anniversary of the founding of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi 1699 by the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Vaisakhi is celebrated in much the same way as Gurpurbs. Hindus celebrate the day too.

Gurpurbs

Gurpurbs are festivals that are associated with the lives of the Gurus. They are happy occasions which are celebrated most enthusiastically by Sikhs.

The most important Gurpurbs are:

Sikhs celebrate Gurpurbs with an akhand path . This is a complete and continuous reading of Sikh scripture (Adi Granth) that takes 48 hours and finishes on the day of the festival.

The reading is done by a team of readers, each reading for between 2-3 hours.

Gurdwaras are decorated for Gurpurbs, and Sikhs dress up in new or smart clothes and join together for special services.

Divali

Divali, the Festival of Light, comes at the end of October or early November. It's a festival that Sikhs and Hindus both celebrate.

Sikhs give the festival a special meaning by celebrating the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment at Gwalior.

The festival of Diwali extends over five days. Because of the lights, fireworks, and sweets involved, it's a great favourite with children.

The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.

Hola Mahalla
This is a festival of martial arts that follows the Hindu festival of Holi.
The festival was originally created to distract Sikhs from the Hindu festival.

Vasakhi day has special socio-cultural, economic and historical significances for the Sikhs.

Gurpurbs are part and parcel of Sikhism. In history we see that the Sikhs have to sacrifice even their lives in order to celebrate the Gurpurbs.