The Indian calendar is full of festivals. In India, the festivals are celebrated as per the solar and lunar calendars. So it might be possible that the dates & months might vary. One such festival is Baisakhi.
Baisakhi is a festival much associated with fanfare and is essentially the harvest festival that marks the commencement of the New Spring year and the end of the harvest of the Rabi crop in India. The word Baisakhi is derived from the name of the month Vaisakha. Baisakhi symbolises the Punjabi New Year, this is the reason it is celebrated with unmatched enthusiasm and gaiety. As per the Sikh Calender, the festival of Baisakhi falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (April-May). In 2020, the festival of Baisakhi falls on 13th April. To know more about the Festivals of India, click here.
Significance of Baisakhi
Although Baisakhi is celebrated in various parts of India, it is the most popular among the people of Punjab. People of Punjab celebrate the festival as a collective birthday of Guru Gobind Singh- the tenth Sikh Guru and the foundation of the Khalsa- the Sikh brotherhood. Farmers thank God for the generous harvest and offer prayers for prosperity in the coming year.
Baisakhi Celebrations
To add more charm to the Baisakhi celebrations many fairs are organised which offers a perfect blend of the richest and vivacious colourful rural produce. Amongst other things, it is notable that the celebration of Baisakhi involves a lot of colours! Men and women adorn themselves in the best colourful attires and celebrate the festival with gusto.
Activities like races, wrestling bouts, singing, acrobatics and folk performances are also staged in the fair. The most amusing feature of a ‘Baisakhi Mela’ is its “Bhangra” and “Gidda“ performances which attract a large number of people. Most eye capturing feature is bhangra dress while the pride of bhangra is the pag. The pag is adorned with a fan-shaped turla. Baisakhi gets everyone into the festive mood and people like to dance their heart out.
It’s celebrated across India
Baisakhi is not just confined to the regions of Punjab and Haryana; it is also celebrated all throughout India and even abroad by different names. It is known and celebrated as Naba Barsha in Bengal while in Tamil Nadu it is celebrated as Tamil Puthandu and as Vishu
For Buddhists, Baisakhi plays a significant role as it memoralizes collectively the awakening, the birth and the enlightened passing away of Gautama Buddha.
Don’t miss a chance to witness this elegant way of celebrating Baisakhi or the Tamil or Bengali New Year in Tamil Nadu or West Bengal.
