New Year Punjab

In Punjab the New Year festival is famous as Baisakhi and is celebrated every year on 13 April. In the city of Amritsar a festival is held. Women and children wear new clothes bought for this special occasion. Men give each other new turbans as a symbol of good wishes. The Punjabi New Year during the onset of spring time is the time of the yielding term in Punjab.

The fragrance of the new crop at the endless fields, the yellow sparkle of the morning sun and the reek of the nameless spring flowers thus entices the Punjabis to greeting the never experienced time with an immense cheer and optimism. Baisakhi Festival is called Vaisakhi, holds great significance for the Sikh community and farmers of Punjab. Baisakhi comes on April 13 or 14 every year, the first day of the year according to the Nanakshahi Calender. Sikhs also celebrate this day in respect of their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Vaisakhi commemorates the day when the Sikh Guru eliminated caste differences and founded Khalsa Panth in1689. Traditional dances and songs boost the spirit of the Vaisakhi celebration. After performing all rituals in gurudwaras, people of Sikh community take out processions. The holy book of Guru Granth Sahab is taken out in the processions. Thus, the parade is headed by five men to honor the Panj Pyaras. The very rhythm of the colorful and vibrant bhangra dance further embeds the Punjab New Year occasion with a matchless elocution. At the end of the day, people express feelings of brotherhood, love, unity and exchanging of gifts and good wishes of hope to celebrate the festival with same energy and enthusiasm every year.