Baisakhi, also pronounced as Vaisakhi, is celebrated jovially by Hindus and Sikhs. Baisakhi marks the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year.

Baisakhi marks the first day of the Hindu calendar month Baisakh, celebrated on 13 April every year and changes to 14 April after 36 years. This holiday is also known as Baisakh Sankranti and marks the solar New Year, based on the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar.

Baisakh is the second month in the Hindu calendar that begins with the month of Chaitra and ends with Falgun or Fagun. This festival marks the time when the farmers in the northern part of India harvest the season’s crops and get ready for next season’s sowing.

It is a Sikh’s New Year Day as it isn’t just a spring-time harvest festival but also a day commemorative of the formation of Khalsa Panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The significance of Vaisakhi as a major Sikh festival marking the birth of the Sikh order started after the persecution and execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur for refusing to convert to Islam under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. This triggered the coronation of Guru Gobind Singh the tenth Guru of Sikhism and the historic formation of Khalsa, both on the Vaisakhi day.

Baisakhi is celebrated in various forms among Hindu religions in different regions of India- including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar, Bengal, Assam and Bihar.

On this day, Gurudwaras are decorated lavishly as they prepare to have immense gatherings of devotees. Sikh males take a holy dip in nearby ponds or lakes and wear festive clothes. Along with Nagar Kirtan processions, Langar Seva (food charity) is held in gurudwaras that feed literally thousands of people in a day. Nagar kirtan is the procession of Guru Granth Sahib- the holy book of Sikhs.

The devotees chant and sing holy hymns while participating in this religious procession. Led by the Panj Pyare (the 5 beloved ones who form a central core of the Khalsa) who are dressed in saffron, the procession is followed by the Guru Granth Sahib and then, other members of the procession.

Sewadars (volunteers) help to clean the road before the procession is about to pass. The procession finally arrives at the designated Gurudwara where Ardas (prayer) is offered. People gather to socialize and share delicacies made particularly for the festival.

Hindus perform a mandatory charity on this day, particularly of hand fans, water pitchers and seasonal fruits. At Hindu pilgrimage sites, community fairs are held every year on this occasion. Statues of deities kept in temples are taken out for a procession in many areas of India.

Baisakhi is also the day when Hindus believe River Goddess Ganga descended from the heavens on earth. To celebrate the occasion, one of the largest Baisakhi fairs is held at Haridwar, which is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site. More than 50 lakh pilgrims visit Brahm Kund to take a dip in the holy Ganga River on this day.

On the day of Baisakhi in Himachal Pradesh, people get up early in the mornings to have a ritual bath. 2 diyas- one is Sangiya filled with oil, and the other is Jyot filed with ghee, are lighted and kept in a large saucer along with water pot, blades of evergreen grass, kush, incense, sandalwood, vermillion and dakshina (money). These items are considered sacred in the Hindu culture and with these, the worship of household deities is performed. Alms in the form of rice, pulses and coins are placed near the deity. This is called Nasrawan and is generally given to the family priest.

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