International Sikh Community Commemorates Vaisakhi

April 13 :
Vaisakhi, a harvest festival that originated in the northern Indian province of Punjab, is being celebrated by Sikh communities globally. Nagar kirtans are a type of processional singing that is common throughout these festivals. The participants in these processions sing songs from the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, as they make their way through the streets.

Situated in southeast England, Gravesend is home to one of the biggest Gurdwaras outside of India and one of the largest Sikh communities in the region. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the town's Vaisakhi celebrations this weekend.

Roughly three thousand people attended the first day of worship and singing in the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara on April 12. One of the most important parts of the weekend celebrations is the langar, a communal meal that was part of the festivities.

The Sikh community in Stockton, California has been celebrating Vaisakhi in April for the past quarter of a century. The 25th Annual Sikh Parade & Festival will take place on April 14 in Stockton, California, at the historic Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, also known as the Sikh Temple, and will attract a large number of Sikh devotees and spectators.

As far as Sikh temples go, the Gurdwara Sahib Stockton in California was the pioneer.

On April 13, the Vaisakhi festivities in Vancouver will officially begin. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend upon South Vancouver for the 45th annual Vancouver Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan celebration. The next week is going to be another big Vaisakhi festival, and this party is just getting started.

The Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade, set to take place on April 20, is anticipated to captivate the city and attract even more spectators than in years past. Organiser Pary Dulai said, "This is the largest Sikh gathering and Vaisakhi parade outside of India, so anywhere outside of India in the world" when asked about the Surrey celebration.

According to Dulai, more than 600,000 people turned out for the Surrey procession last year. Join us at the Fowler Museum at UCLA for a free community event on April 13th to commemorate Vaisakhi, the Sikh holiday. Activities at the event will include art stations for children, a curator-led tour of the exhibition "I Will Meet You Yet Again: Contemporary Sikh Art," Brave Lion Books' presentation of Sikh stories for children, and a special Vaisakhi performance, among other things.