Happy Baisakhi: Here's all you need to know about the festival!

Come April, people in Punjab look forward to Baisakhi celebrations. One of the major festivals celebrated by Sikhs, Baisakhi is cherished with great zeal and enthusiasm by the community.

Baisakhi marks the harvest of rabi crops and farmers offer thanksgiving for a good harvest and prosperity. The day is celebrated with folk dances like bhangra and gidda.

For the Sikh community, Baisakhi has a lot of religious significance as it was on Vaisakhi Day in the year 1699, that the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, laid down the foundation of the Panth Khalsa, that is the Order of the Pure Ones giving rise to the festival of Khalsa Sirjana Divas.

People getting together to harvest the wheat, which is called 'Aawat pauni' . Getty Images

Baisakhi is also the Punjabi New Year, according to the Punjabi calendar. The festival of Baisakhi falls on April 13 every year and April 14 once in every 36 years. The change in date is because of the fact that date of Baisakhi is reckoned according to the solar calendar. 

In the villages of Punjab and Haryana, the day is full of colours and vibrancy. People visit temples or gurudwaras to express gratitude to the almighty. At several places in Punjab colourful Baisakhi fairs are organised, where the major attractions are wrestling bouts, singing and acrobatics.  

A boy at a fair beats the drum and prepares to dance the 'bhangra. Getty Images

Several celebrities extended their wishes on the occasion.

T 2224 - Baisakhi diyaan wadhaiyaan .. greetings on Baisakhi .. pic.twitter.com/ZqRdC7ypul

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 12, 2016

On the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi, my greetings to people across India & the world. May this day bring joy & prosperity in society.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2016

Warm greetings and best wishes to you and your family and specially to the people of Punjab on the joyous occasion of Baisakhi today.

— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) April 13, 2016

Wishing everyone a very happy Baisakhi and #OdiaNewYear. #HappyBaisakhi

— SRIDEVI BONEY KAPOOR (@SrideviBKapoor) April 13, 2016

Happy baisakhi Wishing you all a very happy festival of golden harvest...may waheguru shower his blessings on all of you and the families.

— Harbhajan Singh (@harbhajan_singh) April 13, 2016