Baisakhi, also known as Vaisakhi, is the harvest festival of Punjab. The name originates from ‘Baisakh’, the first month according to the Bikram Sambat Hindu calendar.
Why is Baisakhi celebrated?
There are two strands to Baisakhi. Firstly, Baisakhi refers to the harvest festival in Punjab. The festival occurs during the harvesting of winter crops. The day is observed by Punjab’s farming community as a day of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest. The community also seeks blessings for future prosperity and progress. Secondly, it is the day Sikkhism was born as a collective faith. On this day in 1699, Khalsa, a collective body of all initiated Sikhs, was established at Kesgarh in Anandpur Sahib. Khalsa was inaugurated by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru.
Interestingly, the day also coincides with festivals such as Pahela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Bihu (Assamese New Year) and Puthandu (Tamil New Year).
Also read: Baisakhi 2017- Significance, history, traditions, celebration and songs
How is it celebrated?
As Baisakhi is known as the harvest festival, the primary celebration includes a tradition called ‘Awat Pauni’. The tradition revolves around harvesting the crops where people come together and diligently harvest the crop on the beat of drums. Besides, people also sing traditional songs and dohas.
Though Bhangra or Giddah, is nowadays performed on every occasion, the traditional folk dance is traditionally a harvest dance. The origin of the dance is traced from the festival itself.
The festival is usually marked with procession known as ‘Nagar Kirtan’, reciting hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib –the Sikh holy book. In Punjab the festival is celebrated with much fervour at Talwandi Sabo, the place where Guru Gobind Singh resided for nine months and completed the Sikh holy book. It is also a tradition to visit the Golden temple. Another must visit celebration place is the Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of Khalsa.
