Vaisakhi — the festival of new beginnings

Vaisakhi falls every April and is one of the most joyful days in the Sikh year. It is both a harvest thanksgiving — farmers celebrating the ripening wheat fields of Punjab — and the anniversary of the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh Ji called the Sangat together at Anandpur Sahib and created the Khalsa Panth. On that day five brave souls stepped forward, received Amrit, and became the Panj Pyare. Today, Sikhs around the world mark Vaisakhi with Nagar Kirtan, akhand path, langar and joy — grateful for both the gifts of the earth and the gift of a community shaped by courage and seva.