The Baisakhi Festival, commonly known as Vaisakhi, is celebrated every year in the month of April. It is one of the important festivals of the Hindus and the Sikhs and is celebrated to mark the harvesting of the first summer crop, mostly wheat. It is also celebrated in other parts of the world. A few historical sites of the Sikhs are situated in Pakistan, where it is also celebrated.

There is a vast Sikh community that has its residents in Canada. They come together with great zeal to celebrate this. Nagar kirtans are held and people joyfully take part in these. In the United States, individuals from Los Angeles and Manhattan commemorate the festival with immense enthusiasm.

This day has a brave history related to it. It is remembered for a significant reason, that is, the execution of Guru Teg Bahadur. The execution was done because he disagreed with the proposal of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb wanted to convert him to Islam. But Guru Ji refused to do so. Due to this, he was publicly beheaded. After the death of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh became the next Guru of the Sikhs. This marked the coronation of the tenth Sikh guru and the formation of Khalsa Panth.

This festival is enthusiastically celebrated in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. The day of Baisakhi is full of colours and vibrancy. Traditional folk dances Bhangra and Gidda are performed by men and women respectively. Six celebrate this festival with joy and devotion. On this day, people wake up early in the morning, take a bath, wear new clothes and visit the gurdwaras. People consider taking a holy dip before visiting the Gurdwara. Gorgeous decorations of flowers and lights are done in the gurdwaras. Prayer meats are held in the gurdwaras. Kada Prasad is distributed among all the devotees. People pray for the well-being of their near and dear ones in front of the Almighty. They show gratitude and respect to God. Followed by this, Langar is served and people sit in rows to enjoy it.

One of the major attractions of this festival is the fairs that are held in villages. People from each and every household visit them to enjoy the delicious food and get the taste of mouthwatering delicacies. Children can be found taking a lot of rides at these fairs. The enthusiasm in the air is enhanced by the beat of the dhols and nagaddas.

People also pay their remembrance to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. They remember them in their prayers and prayed to god for peace of their souls.

Huge celebrations of this festival are organised at the Golden Temple in Amritsar as it is a sacred place of the Sikh community.

If you want an unforgettable experience of this festival, enjoy it by going to your nearest gurudwara and feeling the positive energy in the air!