550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji
On the 550th Birth Anniversary or Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurupurab, watch our video to learn about the greatness of the first Sikh Guru! Happy Guru Nanak Jayanthi to all!
The festivals in the Sikh religion are about anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for the beliefs of the Sikhs. known as Gurpurab and on this day people celebration and prayer among the Sikhs. Today is Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab also known as Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti. This day celebrates the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak. This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism. Today is even more special because it celebrates Guru Nanaks’ 550th birth anniversary. Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism. Nanak travelled all over the world. He taught people that there is one God. He created Sikhism which is about love, equality, goodness and morals. Guru Nanak's teachings are written in the form of 974 poetic hymns in the holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib.
The celebration of Gurupurab is similar all over the world. The celebrations usually start with Prabhat Pheris. Prabhat Pheris are early morning processions that begin at the Gurudwaras and proceed around the localities singing hymns. Generally, two days before the birthday, Akhand Path is held in the Gurdwaras.The day prior to the birthday, a procession, referred to as Nagar kirtan, is organised. They head the procession carrying the Sikh flag and there people singing hymns The procession pours into the streets of the town and leaders spread the message of Guru Nanak.On the day of the Gurpurab, the celebrations begin early in the morning at about 4 to 5 a.m. The day begins with the singing morning hymns.This is followed by reading of SIkh scriptures and singing bhajans and talking about the greatness of Guru Nanak.
After that there is a Langar, a special community lunch, which is arranged at the Gurudwaras by volunteers. Langars are organised so that everyone, irrespective of gender ,caste or class feel equal and eat food together. Night Prayer sessions are also held in some [Back Gurudwaras. The at the Gurdwara people start singing at about 1:20 a.m., which is the actual time of birth of Guru Nanak. The celebrations end at around 2 a.m. Guru Nanak Gurpurab is celebrated by the Sikh community all over the world and is one of the most important festivals for the Sikhs. In India people celebrate this festival with a lot of excitement in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. Even some Sindhis celebrate this festival.
This year Gurupurab is even more special because now Indian pilgrims can go to [Box 09 Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan. Kartarpur Sahib is a very important place because after travelling all over Guru Nanak settled in that place and started Sikhism. Now the Indian and Pakistan government have worked together to create the Kartarpur Sahib corridor through which pilgrims can easily travel. Even though there is a lot of political problems pilgrims are happy that they finally have a chance to visit this holy place.
