Baisakhi is a spring harvest festival for Sikhs and Hindus. It is usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year. It marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
The time of Baisakhi usually signifies the end of the harvest season and is an occasion of tremendous joy and festivity for farmers. The celebrations are concentrated in the states of Punjab and Haryana, where it is celebrated with lots of colors, boisterous food, music, and dance.
Baisakhi 2021 Date:
This year the harvest festival will be celebrated on April 13.
Baisakhi History:
In 1699, Sikhs from all over the Punjab gathered together to celebrate the local harvest festival of Vaisakhi. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, came out of a tent carrying a sword. He asked anyone who was prepared to give their life for their religion to step forward.
A young man stepped forward and went into the tent with Guru Gobind Singh. Then Guru Gobind Singh came out of the tent alone with his sword covered in blood and asked for another volunteer. This happened four times until five Sikhs had gone into the tent.
Everyone was very worried that five men had died. However, they all came out of the tent alive and wearing turbans. The five men became known as the Panj Piare or ‘Beloved Five’. Guru Gobind Singh then baptised all the men into the Khalsa. He said some prayers and sprinkled them all with sugar water called amrit. These five men became the first members of the Khalsa.
Baisakhi Significance:
On Baisakhi day, in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, established the Khalsa. He eliminated the difference between higher and lower caste communities and declared that all human beings are equal. Later the Guru tradition in Sikhism was put to an end and Guru Granth Sahib was declared as eternal guide and Holy Book of Sikhism. Baisakhi is also spelled as Visakhi, Vaishakhi and Vaisakhi.
