Happy Baisakhi
13th April 2008

Guru Gobind Singh
Baisakhi, also spelled Vaisakhi, is the festival which celebrates Sikh New Year
and the founding of the Sikh community, known as the Khalsa.

The story of the foundation of the Khalsa started with the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur, the 9th Guru, who was publicly beheaded by Mughul rulers for protecting freedom of worship for both Sikhs and Hindus.

The son of Guru Teg Bahadur, who was called Guru Gobind Singh, became the next Guru. He stated that Sikhs should always be prepared to stand up for their beliefs, whatever the cost.

In 1699, Sikhs from all over the Punjab gathered together to celebrate the Hindu harvest festival of Baisakhi. Guru Gobind Singh came out of a tent carrying a sword and requested that anyone prepared to give his life come forward.

A young Sikh came forward and disappeared into the tent with the Guru. Then the Guru reappeared alone with his sword covered in blood and asked for another volunteer. This was repeated another four times until a total of five Sikhs had gone into the tent with him. Everyone present was very worried until eventually all five emerged from the tent alive, with Guru Gobind Singh, and wearing turbans.

 

The 'Panj Piare' from Birmingham's Baisakhi celebrations 2006 - can you see Peterbrook's Pardeep Guru amongst the five? Well done Pardeep - we are proud of you!
Photograph scanned from the 'Forward' newspaper, printed by Birmingham City Council

 

The five became known as the Panj Piare, or 'Beloved Five'. Guru Gobind Singh's wife mixed some amrit. The Guru said some prayers over the five and they were sprinkled with the amrit. This is how the Amrit ceremony came into being and these five Sikhs became the first members of the Khalsa.

 

The Golden Temple at Amritsar
~ a holy shrine for all Sikhs

 

Why is Baisakhi a time when Sikhs like to join the order of the Khalsa?
It is the anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh initiating the first five people into the Khalsa, so it is an appropriate time for Sikhs to follow their example and join the Sikh community.

Is there an outward sign that the Khalsa Sikhs adopted?
Yes, the men took on a common surname, Singh ('Lion'), a reminder to be courageous, which they still do to this day. Women take on the name Kaur ('Princess'), to emphasise dignity. It was then that the men started to wear turbans. 

Baisakhi Dance

Dancing is a popular way of celebrating Baisakhi in India. Most popular form of dance for this festive occasion is Bhangra and Gidda; both are folk dance for men and women respectively. To celebrate the harvest festival of Baisakhi men and women dress themselves in traditional attire and get together in open fields and dance to the fast paced beat of the dhol.

The scene of Baisakhi celebrations looks quite colorful. A drummer carries the dhol with the help of a strap around his neck and beats the two heads of the drum using sticks. Leader of the dance group stand by the drummer while other dancers move in a circle. Other people from the village keep joining the circle. Dancers take turns to recite a boli (verse) of the song by coming into the centre of the circle. Most often dancers depict the scenes of sowing, harvesting, winnowing and gathering of crops through zestful movements of the body to the accompaniment of ballads. More excitement is added to dance performances when dancers and drummer challenge each other to continue the dance.

Given here is a short description of popular Bhangra and Giddha, the popular folk dance of Punjab:

Bhangra
Bhangra is the most popular folk dance of Punjab and in recent times it has gained tremendous popularity not just in India but countries around the world. What make bhangra so popular amongst youth today are its fast and energetic pace and relatively simple dance movements. The dance is considered to be extremely vibrant and exudes life, renewal and hope for the future.

By origin, Bhangra is associated with fertility rites and was commonly performed at the time of the ripening of the harvest. Today, bhangra is so popular that it is performed on every social or cultural function in Punjab.

Bhangra dance is performed in several popular styles including Sialkoti, Sheikhupuri, Tribal, Malwa, Majha and Jhummer. Bhangra is danced to the accompaniment of dhol and rhythmic clapping. The flow of the rhythm is interspersed with chants of "Hoy, Hoy", "Balle, Balle" or “Shawa - Shawa” by the dancers. Use of props like sticks, chimtas and acrobatics add thrill to bhangra performances. Quite often dancers divide themselves competitively into pairs. Each pair performs in its turn while the rest remain in a circle. When a pair exhausts itself it goes back to the ring and another pair comes forward to take its places. This way Bhangra goes on for hours on a Baisakhi day.

Giddha
Giddha is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab and exhibits teasing, fun and exuberance of Punjabi life. Gidda dance is just as energetic as bhangra and at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace and elasticity. Giddha is essentially danced in circles. Girls form rings and one of the dancers sit in the centre of this ring with a dholki (drum). Just as in bhangra, one girl comes forward and sings a boli (verse). As she comes to the end of it, the others pick up the refrain and join. Most commonly girls dance in twos.

Gidda dance is stylistically simple. Jingle of the bells, thumping of the feet, beat of the drum and the resplendence of Punjabi women in salwar kameej creates an enchanting atmosphere for it. What makes Giddha so popular is that it is not performed according to any cut-and-dried rule. Harmony is the essence in gidda movements that are inclusive of swinging and twisting the body, shaking of the shoulders, bending to a double and clapping. Giddha dance incorporate village life scenes of woman spinning, fetching water from the well and grinding. This is accompanied with appropriate boli and songs.

Harvest Festival
Baisakhi is celebrated as a harvest festival by the large farming community in the states of Punjab and Haryana in India. Since Baisakhi falls in the middle of the month of April (April 13), Baisakhi marks the harvest time of the rabi (winter) crops. Farmers are loaded with cash at this time and are in full mood and spirit to enjoy the fruits of hard work as they celebrate Baisakhi Festival.

Thanksgiving Day
Festival of Baisakhi is celebrated as a Thanksgiving Day by the farmers. People wake up early on the day and take bath in rivers or pond water and pay a visit to the temple or gurdwara (Sikh worship place). Farmers thank god for the bountiful harvest and pray for prosperity in future also. Many people also perform charity on the day as a custom.

Joyful Celebrations
As the day progresses, loud cries of “Jatta aayi Baisakhi” reverberate in the sky as men and women move towards the field to celebrate the harvest festival. As a tradition men dress up in colourful lungi, kurta and pagri while womenfolk clad themselves in salwar kameez or lehenga. They further adorn themselves with loads of jewellery.

Major attraction of Baisakhi celebrations in villages is the performance of energetic bhangra and gidda dance by men and women respectively. This very popular traditional folk dance is performed in-groups on the fast beat of dhol. Dancers perform everyday farming scenes of sowing, harvesting, winnowing and gathering of crops through zestful movements of the body to the accompaniment of ballads.

Later during the day, people exchange greetings with friends, neighbours and dear ones and relish best of world famous Punjabi cuisine, see recipes below!!