Sikh Council UK extends its warm greetings to all members and the wider community on the occasion of Vaisakhi.
It is the first day of the month of Vaisakh which is the second month in the Nanakshahi Sikh calendar. On this day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, created the order of the Khalsa in the Sikh faith. Vaikakhi also traditionally marked the end of the spring harvest in the Punjab region of northern India.
Sikhs in the UK celebrate Vaisakhi with colourful Nagar Kirtan processions and the distribution of free food to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. It is a time for festivities and also new beginnings with many Sikhs choosing this time to undertake the Khalsa initiation ceremony.
With the challenges to religious identity and the practice of faith faced by Sikhs and others in recent times, Sikh Council UK is requesting in particular all Sikhs this year to share and celebrate our faith with the wider community in which we live and work. Only by getting to know our neighbours and letting them know about us and the values we stand for will we be able to foster greater understanding.
This year also marks the 350th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh. Sikh Council UK will be holding a national event at Wymeswold Airfield Grounds in Loughborough (east midlands) on Sunday 13th August 2017 to mark the occasion. It will be the largest one day event organised by Sikh Council UK with the support of all members. More details about the event will be released in the coming weeks.
