Guru Nanak Jayanti 2022: The Most Celebrated Sikh Festival in India

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Well known as Gurupurab or Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav, this Sikh Festival is widely celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated with a lot of fervor and excitement by Sikhs and Punjabi in all around the country. Most of the Sikh festivities are centered on the birth of their ten Gurus, who helped shape the religion and sermonizes the importance of religious devotion. Guru Nanak Gurpurab 2022 is going to celebrate the 553th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The founder of Sikhism and the first Guru of Sikhs was the Guru Nanak Dev ji. In 2022, this festival will be celebrated on 8th November 2022.

About Guru Nanak Dev Ji –

Born and brought up in Talwandi village of Lahore, Pakistan, Guru Nanak was a son of Mehta Kalu Chand and Mata Tripti Devi. He got married to Bibi Sulakhani Kaur and was blessed with two sons named as Srichand and Lakshmichand. Since an early age, he was religious and spent hours reciting God’s name. He had a noor – the radiant glow on his face which made him stand out in the crowd. His devotion led him to leave his family and live away from everyone to meditate. He delivers God’s teaching, impressing upon the fact that we all are the children of God and should recite his name during duress or eustress. His hymns were recorded in Japji Sahib – a holy scripture in Sikhism which is also a part of Guru Granth Sahib. There are many short tales that serve as important moral lessons of Guru Nanak’s journey that are still famous today.

How the celebration of Gurupurab takes place?
Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav is celebrated with merriment and the utmost devotion which is a grand procession. There are many events that take place during this festival which includes –

• An unstoppable Akhand Path from a Sikh Holy Book “Guru Granth Sahib Ji” initiates two days before the actual day.
• Many processions are held in various parts of the states like Punjab and Delhi. A lot of people gather at the Gurudwara and perform sewa that includes extending their selfless services, cleaning the road ahead during the Palki or Palanquin, and distributing free food, volunteering in serving foods and drinks to everyone regardless of the caste or background.
• A procession led by the “Panj Pyaras” the five beloved ones carrying the Sikh flag called Nishan Sahib. The original Panj Pyaras played a major role in defining the past of Sikhism as they were the first ones to get immerse in the Sikh initiation ceremony of Amrit Sanchar.
• There are also have devotees singing hymns in the praise of their lord and experts performing Gatka – a form of martial art.
• On the day of Gurupurab, the Akhand Path is concluded by a spiritual hymn of Asa di Var in the morning. It is followed by people visiting Gurudwaras to offers their prayers, take blessings and listen to melodious hymns that offer peace in their minds and soul.
• All the Gurudwaras are beautifully decorated with flowers and upholstery at night; they are lit with light bulbs, rendering it a breath-taking view.

One of the most cherished festivals of Sikhs, Guru Nanak Jayanti is marked as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and is gazetted as a holiday in India. The peace of mind and soul that one gets by visiting a Gurudwara and spending hours there is unsurpassed. Gurudwaras are well known to be a calming and soothing place during Gurpurab, the fervor multiplies. Mark your visit to a Gurudwara in India and take part in the processions for experiencing the divine and peace in the aura.