New Delhi: Baisakhi, also known as Vaisakh Sankranti or Vaisakhi, is a spring harvest festival celebrated in Punjab and other parts of North India.
It is a spring harvest festival and so it generally falls in mid-April every year.
While the festival is popularly known as Baisakhi or Vaisakhi or Vaisakh Sankranti, it is also called by different names in various parts of the country. For instance, in Assam it is called Rongoli Bihu, in West Bengali, it is called Poila Baisakh, in Tamil Nadu, it is called Puthandu, whereas in Bihar it is called Vaisakha.
Baisakhi 2022 Significance and History
Baisakhi is an ancient harvest festival that is celebrated with much pomp. The Sikh community marks the beginning of New Year on this day. They observe this occasion as a harvest festival and as the day of the formation of the Panth Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, established the Panth Khalsa in 1699 by baptising Sikh warriors to defend religious freedom. He had declared that all human beings are equal.
Baisakhi 2022 Celebrations
This festival of Baisakhi is celebrated across Punjab and parts of North India. Several processions called Nagar Kirtan, led by five Khalsas dressed as Panj Pyaare, pass across the streets in the wee hours of the morning. Devotees also visit the Gurudwaras to offer their prayers and seek blessings. Several fairs are also organised where festivities are observed with Bhangra and Gidda performances, folk songs, amusement rides and delicious food. The famous Kada Prasad and traditional langars are also prepared in Gurudwaras and distributed on Baisakhi.
