Baisakhi marks the harvest of rabi crops and farmers offer thanksgiving for a good harvest and prosperity
Baisakhi is one of the major festivals celebrated by the people in Punjab, it holds special religious significance for the Sikhs and is generally celebrated in the month of April.
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.
In the year of 1699 after the ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, for refusing to convert to Islam, which is why the Panth Khalsa was founded.
Guru Gobind gave Amrit (nectar) to his first five disciples, that turned them into warriors and they went on to defend religious freedom. He also freed those who were oppressed under an unjust social system by inviting them to join this new religion where everyone is equal.
The farming community observe it as a thanksgiving day for the abundant harvest by performing Aawat Pauni, a tradition where people gather together to harvest the wheat and sing and dance to the tunes of the drums.
A special celebration also takes place at Talwandi Sabo, at the Gurudwara at Anandpur Sahib and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
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. Thousands of devotees took a holy dip in lakes and rivers on the occasion of Baisakhi. At several places in Punjab colourful Baisakhi fairs are organised, where the major attractions are wrestling bouts, singing and acrobatics.
As for the Hindus, it ushers in their solar new year, it is celebrated all around India under different names like Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Pooram Vishu in Kerala, Naba Barsha in Bengal, Rongali Bihu in Assam and Baishakha in Bihar. People take a holy dip in the Ganges, Jhelum, Kaveri and visit temples.
For the Buddhists also the day holds relevance as they believe Gautama Buddha attained Nirvana on this day.
Several celebrities extended their wishes on the occasion:
Diljit Dosanjh tweeted in Punjabi, "On the birthday of the Khalsa, my heartiest Baisakhi wishes to all."
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 "Baisakhi Wheat Punjab New Year Sikh")
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