>Malikhpur at 11:18, 10 September 2021

2021-09-10T11:18:34Z

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{{short description|Bharatpedia list article}}
This is the list of festivals observed by the followers of Sikh religion.

{|class="wikitable sortable plainlinks"
!Festival
!Date Observed
!Description
|--
||[[Maghi]]||January 14||[[File:Gurudwara Muktsar Sahib.jpg|thumb|Gurudwara Muktsar Sahib]]This festival commemorates the Battle of Muktsar and was initially chosen by Sri Guru Amar Das Ji for Sikhs to attend the Gurdwara.
|--A girder
||Parkash Utsav Dasveh Patshah ||January 5|| This festival's name, when translated, means the birth celebration of the 10th Divine Light, or Divine Knowledges. It commemorates the birth of [[Guru Gobind Singh]], the tenth Sikh guru. The festival is one of the most widely celebrated event by Sikhs.
|-
|[[Sikh New Year]]
|March 13 or 14
|The Sikh new year in accordance to the Sikh Calendar (Nanakshahi Calendar).
|--A gurdwara is the Sikh holy place.
||[[Holla Mohalla]]||March||[[File:A young boy practising, Gatka, SIkh martial art.jpg|thumb|190px|right|A young Sikh performer at Holla Mohalla]]An annual festival of thousands held at Anandpur Sahib. It was started by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles. The mock battles were followed by [[kirtan]] and valour poetry competitions. Today the [[Nihang]] Singhs carry on the martial tradition with mock battles and displays of swordsmanship and horse riding. There are also a number of darbars where kirtan is sung. It is celebrated by Sikhs across the world as 'Sikh Olympics' with events and competitions of [[swordsmanship]], horse riding, [[Gatka]] (Sikh martial arts), falconry and others by Nihang Singhs.
|-- simran
||[[Vaisakhi]] || April 14 ||[[File:Birthplace of Khalsa.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Vaisakhi at [[Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib]] at [[Anandpur Sahib]], the birthplace of the [[Khalsa Panth]]]] In [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] it is celebrated as the Birth of the [[Khalsa]] brotherhood. It is celebrated at a large scale at [[Kesgarh Sahib]], [[Anandpur Sahib]]. In India, [[U.K.]], Canada, United States, and other Sikh populated areas, people come together for a public [[mela]] or [[parade]]. The main part of the mela is where a local Sikh Temple ([[Gurdwara]]) has a beautiful Sikh themed float on which the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] is located and every one offers their respect by bowing with much reverence and fervour. To mark the celebrations, [[Sikh]] devotees generally attend the [[Gurudwara]] before dawn with flowers and offerings in hands. Processions through towns are also common. Vaisakhi is the day on which the [[Khalsa]] was born and Sikhs were given a clear identity and a code of conduct to live by, led by the 10th [[Sikh Guru]], [[Guru Gobind Singh]] Ji, who baptized the first Sikhs using sweet nectar called Amrit.<ref name = "BBC Sikh">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/holydays/vaisakhi.shtml |title= Sikhism holy days: Baisakhi |access-date=2007-07-08 |publisher=[[BBC]] }}</ref>
|--
||Martyrdom of [[Guru Arjan]] || June 16 ||[[File:Panj Pyare, leading a procession.jpg|thumb|Panj Pyare, leading a procession of nagar kirtan marking the Shaheedi divas (martyrdom)]] The martyrdom anniversary of [[Guru Arjan]], the fifth Guru, falls in June, the hottest month in India. He was tortured to death under the orders of Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, on the complaint of a Hindu banker Chandu Lal, who bore a personal enmity with Guru, at [[Lahore]] on 25 May 1606. Celebrations consist of [[Kirtan]], Katha and Langar in the Gurdwara. Because of hot summer, chilled sweetened drink made from milk, sugar, essence and water is freely distributed in Gurdwaras and in neighborhoods to everybody irrespective of their religious belief as a sign and honour of the humble Guru who happily accepted his torture as a will of [[Waheguru]] and made no attempt to take any action.
|--
||Pahila Prakash Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji|| September 1 || [[File:Guru Granth Sahib.jpg|left|200px|thumb|A copy of [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the eternal Sikh Guru]] It is the day when the Guru Granth Sahib was bestowed with the title of being the eternal and final Sikh guru thus ending the line of Human gurus.
|--
||[[Bandi Chhor Divas]]|| October 27 || [[File:Dipavali-Coventry.jpg|thumb|right|Diwali celebrations in United Kingdom.]] On the day of Bandhi Chhor Diwas (The Celebration of Freedom), Sikhs celebrate the release from prison of the sixth guru, [[Guru Hargobind]], who also rescued 52 [[Hindu]] kings held captive by Mughal Emperor [[Jehangir]] with him in the [[Gwalior Fort]] in 1619. The Sikhs celebrated by lighting their homes with lights and candles with the tradition continuing till date with [[Harmandir Sahib]] beautifully decorated with colourful lights to mark this celebration. It is celebrated by lighting divas and going to a Gurdwara to listen to gurbani.
|--
||[[Guru Nanak Gurpurab]]|| November 15 || On this day Guru Nanak was born in Nanakana Sahib, now situated in Pakistan. Every year Sikhs celebrate this day with large-scale gatherings. Candles, divas and lights are lit in [[Gurdwara]]s, in the honour of Guru along with fireworks. The birthday celebration usually lasts three days. Generally two days before the birthday, [[Akhand Path]] (forty-eight-hour non-stop reading of Guru Granth Sahib) is held in the Gurdwara. One day before the birthday, a procession is organized which is led by the Panj Pyares (Five Beloved Ones) and the Palki (Palanquin) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and followed by teams of [[Ragi (Sikhism)|Ragi]]s singing hymns, brass bands playing different tunes and devotees singing the chorus.[[File:Nankana Sahib.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, [[Pakistan]]]]
[[File:4thFireworks1.JPG|thumb|150px|A fireworks show celebrating the Birth of [[Guru Nanak]] in India.]]
[[File:Akal Takht illuminated, in Harmandir Sahib complex, Amritsar.jpg|thumb|270px|centre|[[Akal Takht]] illuminated on [[Guru Nanak Jayanti]], in [[Harmandir Sahib]] complex, [[Amritsar]].]]
|--
||Martyrdom of [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]]||November 24||On this day [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] was martyred when he refused to convert to Islam. [[File:Gurdwara sis ganj.jpg|thumb|280px|right|[[Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib]] where the Guru was martyred]]
The Mughal Emperor, [[Aurangzeb]] cherished the ambition of converting India into a land of Islam.
His experiment was first carried out in [[Kashmir]]. The viceroy of Kashmir carried out the policy vigorously and set about converting non-Muslims by force.<ref name=allabout>{{Cite web |url=http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/sikh-gurus/sri-guru-tegh-bhadur-sahib-ji-p2.html#12 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009003441/http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/sikh-gurus/sri-guru-tegh-bhadur-sahib-ji-p2.html#12 |archive-date=2009-10-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=singh>Surinder Singh Kohli. 1993. The Sikh and Sikhism. P.78-89</ref>
A group of [[Kashmiri Pandit]]s (Kashmiri Hindu Brahmins), approached Guru Tegh Bahadur and asked for his help. They, on the advice of the Guru, told the Mughal authorities that they would willingly embrace Islam if Guru Tegh Bahadur, did the same.<ref name=allabout/><ref name=singh/> [[File:Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib.JPG|thumb|left|Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib in [[Anandpur Sahib]] where the head of guru was brought and cremated in defiance of Mughals ]]
Orders of the arrest of the Guru were issued by Aurangzeb and the Guru was arrested at a place called ''Malikhpur'' near [[Anandpur Sahib|Anandpur]] after he had departed from Anandpur for Delhi. He was arrested, along with some of his followers and sent to [[Sirhind]] the following day. The Governor ordered him to be detained in [[Bassi Pathana]] and reported the news to Delhi. His arrest was made in July 1675 and he was kept in custody for over three months. He was then cast in an iron cage and taken to Delhi in November 1675.
The Guru was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Islam. When he could not be persuaded to abandon his faith to save himself from persecution, he was asked to perform some miracles to prove his divinity. On his refusal, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in public at [[Chandni Chowk]] on 11 November 1675. Guru Ji is also known as "Hind Di Chadar" i.e. "the shield of India", suggesting that to save Hinduism, Guru Ji gave his life.
|--
||Martyrdom Of the Sahibzade||December 21 and 26||The Martyrdom of both the elder and younger Sahibzadas is a remembrance of the four young princes (sons of Guru Gobind Singh) who were martyred in late December. The two older sons, Sahibzade Ajit Singh and Jujhar Singh, were killed by Mughal soldiers during the battle of Chamkaur.{{cn|date=December 2020}} Both the younger sons Sahibzade Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were executed after being captured.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh |url=http://www.sikh-history.com/sikhhist/martyrs/sahibzade.html}}</ref> These Martyrs are observed 21 December and 26 December respectively.
|--
|}

==Other Sikh festivals==
There are some other (around 45) festivals that are celebrated at a much smaller scale with some being centred in particular regions or towns that are not included in the above list. Thoses include Parkash Utsavs (Birth anniversaries of the other 8 Sikh gurus), Gurgadi Divas (passing of guruship), Jyotijot Divas (death anniversaries of other Sikh gurus), [[Basant Kite Festival (Punjab)|Basant Festival]] of kites which is celebrated in Chheharta Sahib Gurdwara in the village of Wadali where Sri Guru Hargobind Ji was born in 1595, to celebrate the birth and <ref>Johar, Surinder Singh Holy Sikh Shrines</ref> many other such festivals. All Sikh festival include celebrating by gathering at [[Gurdwara]], paying obeisance to the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] and listening to [[Gurbani]], [[Kirtan]] and reciting [[Paath]].

However, there are quite a few other local fairs which are historically important to the Sikhs and attract crowds in hundreds of thousands and last two to three days. The most important of these are:

*The Martyrdom of both the [[Sahibzada Fateh Singh|younger Sahibzadas]] of Guru Gobind Singh at [[Fatehgarh Sahib]].
*The Battle of [[Chamkaur]] and the Martyrdom of both [[Sahibzada Ajit Singh|elder Sahibzadas]] of Guru Gobind Singh.
*The Martyrdom of the forty followers("Forty Immortals") of Guru Gobind Singh who had previously deserted him, fought bravely against overwhelming Mughal army forces in Muktsar. Guru Gobind Singh blessed them as having achieved liberation. [[Mela Maghi]] commemorates this event and an annual fair is held in [[Sri Muktsar Sahib]] town.

==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commonscat-inline}}
{{Punjab, India}}

[[Category:Sikh festivals| ]]
[[Category:Lists of festivals in India|Sikh]]
[[Category:Lists of religious festivals]]
[[Category:Lists of festivals in Pakistan|Sikh]]

List of Sikh festivals - Revision history

>Malikhpur at 11:18, 10 September 2021