Festivals & Gurpurabs
The days the Sikh community marks together — the anniversaries of the Gurus, and festivals rooted in Sikh history.
Gurpurabs
A Gurpurab marks an anniversary in the life of a Guru — most widely the birth of Guru Nanak and of Guru Gobind Singh, and the martyrdoms of Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur. They are observed with continuous readings of the Guru Granth Sahib (akhand path), kirtan, and langar.1,2
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi, in April, is both a spring harvest festival and the anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa in 1699 — one of the most significant days in the Sikh calendar.1,2
Bandi Chhor Divas
For Sikhs, Diwali is also Bandi Chhor Divas, the “day of the release of prisoners”. It recalls Guru Hargobind’s release from imprisonment at Gwalior Fort, which Sikh tradition says he secured together with fifty-two imprisoned kings; tradition has him reaching Amritsar at Diwali. The sources do not agree on the years or the length of his detention, so the day remembers the tradition rather than a fixed date. See Guru Hargobind.3,4,5
Hola Mohalla
Established by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur in 1701, Hola Mohalla falls the day after Holi and is marked by displays of martial skill, mock battles and poetry — a festival of discipline and courage.1,2
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Sources
Numbers in the text link to the work the claim rests on. Naming a work is not the same as checking every sentence against it; how entries are checked.
- Eleanor Nesbitt. Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press (2005). no page given yet
- W. Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi. The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. no page given yet standard academic reference on Sikh belief and practice
- W. H. McLeod. Historical Dictionary of Sikhism, 2nd ed.. Scarecrow Press (2005). Entries on Divali and Festivals
- Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
- Fauja Singh. Hargobind, Guru (1595-1644). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala.