Baisakhi

Baisakhi

The first day of the month of Vaisakh marks the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year. According to the Gregorian calendar, the day falls usually on the 14th of April. By this time, the crop is ready for harvest. People thank God for good harvest in the past year, and also pray for a better harvest in the coming year. This thanksgiving ceremony is celebrated as the festival called Baisakhi. The festival is more prominent in Punjab and Haryana.

Baisakhi was first institutionalized in the year 1567 by the Sikh Guru Amar Das. He declared it as one of the special days when all Sikhs would gather to receive the guru's blessings. Later, on this day in 1699 the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, organised the order of the Akai Khalsa (Community of the Pure).

At the Baisakhi Fair in Anandpur, Guru Gobind Singh chose five volunteers of five different castes and asked them to offer their lives. He took one of them into a tent. After a while, the Guru came out with his sword smeared with blood. Then he took the second volunteer in, and this time again came out with his sword blood stained. One by one, he did the same to all five of them.

People gathered there became frightened. They concluded that the Guru had killed the five Sikhs. But soon the mystery unfolded. The Guru had actually sacrificed a goat. The five volunteers came out of the tent. They were wearing turbans, which have since become the symbols of Sikh’s identity. Guru Gobind Singh called the five volunteers as the 'Panj Pyare' (the beloved five). Then he took a little water in a bowl and chanted a prayer, stirring the water with a steel dagger. This ritual symbolised the need for strength. Seeing this, the Guru's wife, Mata Sundri, added some sugar to the holy water, saying that strength must always be balanced by the sweetness of temperament.

The Guru then sprinkled the holy water over the Panj Pyare, and declared them to be the first batch of members of the Khalsa Panth. Thereafter, the Granth Sahib (the sacred book of the Sikhs) became the eternal Guru of all Sikhs, thus discontinuing the tradition of Gurus in Sikhism. To honour the Panj Pyare, every year at Baisakhi, the Sikhs hold a series of parades, in which sets of five men walk in front of the holy book with drawn swords.

The Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi with great zeal and zest. Early morning, they take a holy dip in the rivers. Devotees, with flowers and offerings in their hands, proceed towards the

Gurudwaras and temples. They sing devotional songs and recite passages from Guru Granth Sahib. Many people volunteer to perform 'kar sewa' that is, offering help in the daily chores of the Gurudwara. The most sacred pilgrimage centre of the Sikhs is the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Pilgrims from far and wide gather here to pay their obeisance.

All around, there are cheers of 'Jaffa Aai Baisakhi1. Young men and children gather in the open fields amid the blossoming flowers and harvested grain.

They perform 1 Bhangra1, which is a dance to express joy. This strenuous dance tells the story of the agricultural process, from tilling the soil through harvesting. The dancers match their steps with the drumbeats becoming faster and faster.

The scenes of ploughing, sowing, weeding and harvesting are enacted through the movements of the body. Women perform 'Giddha', which is another form of joyful dance. People meet their friends and relatives. They welcome each other with delicious lassi (a preparation of curd) and sweets. At some places in Punjab, people organise fairs and wrestling bouts.

Many states of the country celebrate this day as the New Year day under different names. In Assam, it is 'Bohag Bihu1; in Bengal it is 'Naba Barsha1; in Tamil Nadu it is 'Puthandu1; and in Kerala it is 'Pooram Vishu'. According to a popular legend, thousands of years ago the River Goddess Ganga descended to the earth on this day. Therefore, the Hindus consider it auspicious to take a holy dip in the rivers on this day.

This day is also significant to the Buddhists since it was on this day that Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Mahabodhi tree in the town of Gaya. For this reason, the day is also known as Buddha Purnima in some parts of the country. The festival of Baisakhi marks the beginning of a fresh year and symbolizes a new zeal and zest, thus bringing bright hopes for the future.