The Council of Sikh Gurdwaras in Birmingham marks this religious and festive period every year, holding the largest Vaisakhi Open Air Celebration outside India, attracting over 65,000 people.
People from all faiths join in to celebrate the gift of life and peaceful co- existence. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event which will include Sikh cultural activities, a funfair, arts and crafts exhibitions, a sports arena and live entertainment.
Vaisakh is the second month in the Punjabi Sikh calendar and has long been associated with the harvest festival in Punjab. In the month of Vaisakh, communities in the north of the Indian sub-continent reap the benefits of year long toil in the fields. The weather is mild, the work is over, crops have been harvested and sold and everyone has money in their pockets.
For Sikhs, the month of Vaisakh also symbolises a different type of harvest. The first day of the month, Vaisakhi is the anniversary of the birth of the Khalsa Nation. On 13th April 1699 the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji called a mass gathering of Sikhs and initiated the five beloved ones (Panj Pyare) and established the Khalsa order of Saint Soldiers, bringing to fruition a way of life that had been lived by the 10 Gurus and which would be guided by the immortal message conveyed through them and installed as The Word in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Thus all Sikhs were invited to be initiated and Sikh men given the name Singh (Lion) and Sikh women given the name Kaur (Lioness), and instructed all Sikhs to live a disciplined and spiritual life with a dress code of 5 Kakkars (Sikh articles of faith), breaking the shackles of caste, creed and gender inequality and providing a uniform identity linked through their adherence to the will and love of God.
(source) www.vaisakhibirmingham.org.uk
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| Num. Photos | 67 |
| Date Created | 22 Apr 07 |
| Last Updated | 22 Apr 07 |
| Online Res. | 0.5 MPixel |
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