Guru Nanak Jayanti is one of the most important and sacred festivals celebrated by Sikh community. The day marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism. According to Hindu Lunar calendar, Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated on the full moon day of Kartik month or Kartik Poornima and this year it is on November 14, 2016. The day is also known as Gurpurab, which means festival of the Gurus, and Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav, as the Sikh Guru enlightened us all with his teachings.
The birth of Guru Nanak, who taught the message of one god and established a unique social and spiritual platform based on truth, love, equality and morality, is celebrated with great fervour by people of Sikh community across the world. The celebration is similar to the festivities around anniversaries of other Sikh gurus and includes hymns and prayers. The festivities start two days before Guru Nanak Jayanti with a nonstop reading of the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, in the Gurudwaras for 48 hours and it is called Akhand Path. Nagarkirtan, a procession is organised on the day prior to the Jayanti. The Panj Pyaras lead this procession carrying the Palanquin of the holy book Guru Granth Sahib and the Nishan Sahib, which is the Sikh flag. During the procession, people sing devotional songs and hymns. Mock battles and martial arts using traditional weapons are displayed by the Gatka teams. This procession spreads the Guru Nanak’s teachings and message.
On the day of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the celebration begins as early as 4 am with Prabhat Pheris, which is the morning procession. The processions start from Gurudwaras. The Gurudwaras are decorated with lights and flowers on this day. People sing morning hymns and read out Sikh scriptures. This is followed by a special community lunch called as the Langar. These langars are organised by the Gurudwaras and usually volunteers help in the preparation of the lunch. Everyone, irrespective of class, caste or creed, is welcome for the langar. In some Gurdwaras, evening and night prayers are recited. The celebration ends with singing Gurbani at about 2 am. Although Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated across the globe by the Sikh community, the celebration is more beautiful in Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab.
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