Amritsar

Festive Celebrations

Baisakhi is celebrated annually on the 13th of April as a sign of wheat harvesting. The entire city participates with great fervour and the Granth Sahib is read across all gurudwaras. Processions, cultural activities and folk dances are also held with great fervour. Guru Nanak Jayanti in October is held to commemorate the birthday of Guru Nanak Devji Maharaj. This is also marked by prayer sessions and langars across all gurudwaras. A much-popular festival is the Ram Tirath Fair, celebrated at Ram Tirath. Held a fortnight after Diwali, it is marked by devotees taking a dip in the Temple Tank and praying inside the gurudwara. Lamps made of flour are lit with ghee or mustard oil and set afloat on leaf plates – the ceremony called tulla toarna. Devotional songs and hymns are recited throughout the ceremony. Basant Panchami is celebrated end of January and is marked by kite-flying competitions, recitation of hymns and poems of Sikh literature held throughout the night. Special events are held during the Gurupurabs, which are essentially celebrated on the birthdays and martyrdoms of the Gurus. Especially vibrant are the birthday celebrations of Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das and Guru Gobind Singh.