Vaisakhi
Also called Baisakhi
Punjab's harvest festival and a huge day for Sikhs
What it is
April 13 or 14
Vaisakhi is the spring harvest festival in Punjab and one of the biggest days of the year for Sikhs. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh started the Khalsa, the community of initiated Sikhs, on Vaisakhi. For farmers, it's when the wheat is ready to cut.
How people celebrate
Sikhs go to the gurdwara early, and a lot of people visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Nagar kirtans, parades with hymns and the Guru Granth Sahib, go through the streets.
People dance bhangra and gidda to dhol drums.
Gurdwaras serve langar, a free meal for anyone who walks in.
Thousands of Sikh pilgrims travel to Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan.
What people eat
- Kada prashad
- A warm sweet made from wheat flour, ghee and sugar, handed out at the gurdwara.
- Chole bhature
- Spicy chickpeas with big puffy fried bread.
- Kheer
- Rice cooked slowly in milk with sugar and cardamom.
- Lassi
- A thick yogurt drink, sweet or salty.
Did you know?
The Five Ks that initiated Sikhs keep, like uncut hair and the steel kara bracelet, go back to the day the Khalsa started.