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Sikh community abroad celebrates Vaisakhi
The Fowler Museum at UCLA is organizing a complimentary community event to celebrate the Sikh festival Vaisakhi on Apr. 13
Nagar Kirtan in Ealing, London / @DrAyshaRaza
Sikh communities abroad are actively celebrating Vaisakhi, a harvest festival originating from Punjab, a region in northern India. These celebrations often include parades and special processions known as nagar kirtans, where hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, are sung as participants walk through the streets.
Gravesend, located in southeast England, boasts one of the largest Sikh communities in the region and is home to one of the world's largest Gurdwaras outside of India. It's anticipated that over the weekend, more than 10,000 individuals will partake in the town's Vaisakhi festivities.
On Apr. 12, the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara hosted approximately 3,000 individuals for the initial day of prayer and song. The festivities included langar, a communal meal, which stands as one of the pivotal aspects of the weekend celebrations.
For 25 years, Stockton, California’s Sikh community has observed Vaisakhi every April. On Apr. 14, many Sikh devotees and onlookers will fill the streets of Stockton near the historic Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, also recognized as the Sikh Temple, for the 25th Annual Sikh Parade & Festival.
The Gurdwara Sahib Stockton holds the distinction of being the first Sikh temple established in the United States.
The upcoming Vaisakhi celebrations in Vancouver are set to commence on Apr. 13. This year marks the 45th edition of the Vancouver Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan event, which is anticipated to attract hundreds of thousands of attendees to South Vancouver. This celebration precedes another significant Vaisakhi event scheduled for the following week.
The Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade, scheduled for Apr. 20, is expected to dominate sections of the city, drawing even larger crowds compared to previous events. “This is the largest Sikh gathering and Vaisakhi parade outside of India, so anywhere outside of India in the world,” said organizer Pary Dulai of the Surrey celebration.
Dulai said that last year's parade in Surrey attracted over 600,000 attendees.
The Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is organizing a complimentary community event to celebrate the Sikh festival Vaisakhi on Apr. 13.
The event will feature art, storytelling, and music, with activities such as art-making stations for children, a curator-led tour of the exhibition "I Will Meet You Yet Again: Contemporary Sikh Art," Sikh stories for children presented by Brave Lion Books, and a special Vaisakhi performance.
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