The Sikh festival of Vaisakhi 

The history, parades and what's to come

In the month of April, thousands of Sikhs line the streets to celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi. It's been 319 years since the birth of Khalsa, which Guru Gobind Singh Ji created on 13th April 1969, this was the beginning of the Sikh religion becoming a collective faith. 

Khalsa is the company of Sikhs that are fully committed to the faith and are 'ritually admitted at puberty'. It was founded by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. These followers are defined by the five K's, this includes the Kara (bangle), kangha (comb), Kirpan (sword), kesh (uncut hair) and kuccha (short trousers).       

With now over 27 million followers Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world. There are people of the Sikh faith situated all over the world, the most populated is Punjab, India.    


Nagar (town) Kirtans (singing of hymns) take place annually in many areas around the world, throughout the month of April. They begin at a Gurdwara in the area and end at another one in the same area. The Birmingham Nagar Kirtan will be on 29th April 2018 at Gurdwara Ramgarhia Sikh Temple at 9:00am, Hockley and will end at 12:30 in Handsworth Park.       

 Thousands of people walk in unison singing hymns and watching the Gatka which is performed at the front of the procession. The procession is led by 5 men dressed as the 'panj pyare'. The men will walk barefoot on the journey while volunteers will sweep the streets in front of them to ensure the road is clean (and safe) for them.   

The Guru Granth Sahib Ji will be placed in a truck for the procession so the public can pay their respects throughout the event.  

"It was a great gathering of the Sikh community and I was happy to be apart of it"

Arandip Singh,volunteer. 



One of the main ways to participate in the festival is to provide the sanget walking with food and drink along the way. Hundreds of people set up stalls and tables along the road giving out a variety of food and drink for free. The traditional indian food such as somasas, pakoras and proathe are given out but as the years have gone by the choice has grown. Many people now give out cakes, fruit and crisps and of course Indian tea. 

"I have been serving and helping out at Nagar Kirtans for many years now, I look forward to it every year and meet hundreds of my fellow Sikh peers throughout the walks."

The reason for doing this is for people to show their respects to the Panj Payre and provide them with food and drink on their walk. It has now become a norm for everyone joining in the procession to be provided with free food and drink. 


The rest of the crowd will follow either on foot or on rented buses and trucks. People of all ages and cultures are invited to attend and get involved. There are facilities for disabled or older members of the public to ride on the buses or trucks, so they will still be apart of the procession..The surrounding streets are closed on the day so people can walk through safely. Many of the local services get involved to ensure health & safety is in place, including ambulances, police officers and safety cars. Many areas around the world get involved and have processions, including India, England, Canada, Italy, France and Spain.  




Interview with Manvinder Singh, member of the Gurdwara committee: 

Q: Why do you volunteer at the Gurdwara?

A: Because I genuinely enjoy it. To begin my day I listen to the prayer upstairs and then I will come downstairs to where the langar hall is and help to serve the morning food, which normally consists of pakora or proathe. I will then help to prepare food for lunch. The gurdwara allows me to feel at peace.

Q: How do you prepare for Vaisakhi?

A: There are many things we do to ensure the Vaisakhi celebrations go smoothly. At the Gurdwara there will be a number of special prayers that are conducted on the 13th April. For the procession we ensure that the road closures and information about them is told to everyone that needs to know. We then hire the vehicles needed and ensure we have local authorities on board for the day. We will then advertise the procession on Punjabi radio stations and TV channels so the public know exactly when and where it is. Many newspapers also want to get involved and that helps spread the word too.

Q: What do Nagar Kirtans symbolise, in terms of celebrating Vaisakhi?

A: Well, it is about everyone coming together and celebrating this momentum time as a unit. It allows everyone to also get involved in some way, whether that be serving, walking or volunteering at the Gurdwara. I also feel it is important that we encourage the youth to participate in these events to ensure the Sikh community continues to be strong in unity.  

“ It’s important that we encourage the youth to participate in these events to ensure the Sikh community continues to be strong in unity".

Many politicians around the world have been giving their wishes to Sikhs all around the world and acknowledging the festival of Vaisakhi.  



Once the procession has ended at the Gurdwara ,the sangat are invited to have Langar. Langar is a free meal provided by volunteers who buy the ingredients, cook the food and serve it to visitors. It is usually an assortment of roti, curry and an indian sweet as a pudding. 


Click to see how many people are attending Nagar Kirtans 


Many members of the public have took to social media to share their experiences of the festival and the processions in different countries and areas. If you would like to get involved use the #vaisakhi2018 on social media.             

To find out when Nagar Kirtans will be happening, near you check your local councils website or get into contact with your local gurdwara. For more information about Vaisakhi in Birmingham log onto:

 https://vaisakhibirmingham.co.uk/vaisakhi/procession-routes/