Baisakhi - Essay 1.
Baisakhi which is also known as Vaishakhi, Vasakhi or Vaisakhi is a religious celebration that takes place among the Sikh and the Hindu.
This is a celebration that takes place on the thirteenth or on the fourteenth of April every year. This is a very important celebration among the people of the two religions.
Baisakhi is a noun that is used to signify a yearly Sikh celebration used to commemorate the founding of the order of the Khalsa under the leadership of the Guru Gobind Singh.
This is a festival that acts as a harvest festival, a day to go the temples and gurudwaras, a day for social visits and a day to bathe in sacred rivers.
When is Baisakhi festival celebrated?
The Baisakhi festival is celebrated on the thirteenth and the fourteenth of April annually. This is a festival that is very significant in the Hindu and the Sikh religions. In some regions of India, this festival is celebrated as Poila Baisakh or Pahela Baishakh.
Who celebrate Baisakhi?
The Baisakhi celebration is celebrated by the Sikh and the Hindus in different parts of the world. It was a festival that was selected by Guru Amar Das to be celebrated among the Sikhs. Among the Sikh, this day marks the day that the Khalsa Sikh order is remembered. In Hinduism, this day marks the Solar New Year tradition. This is a day that comes when harvesting has already been done and farmers are ready to sell their crops. Although the festival is known by different names in Hindu, the festivities are still the same.
Why do farmers celebrate Baisakhi?
Farmers commemorate the Baisakhi festival to give thanks to God for the harvests that they have made. In the state of Punjab and Haryana, farmers celebrate this festival to mark the harvest of the Rabi crops. On this day farmers celebrate with a lot of bliss and colors. Men and women wear traditional clothes as they go to the gardens to celebrate. In the villages, this festivity is marked by men dancing the bhangra and women dancing the gidda both of which are traditional folk dances.
Which crop is harvested on Baisakhi?
India is a country that is rich in agricultural produce. During the Baisakhi festivals, there are a lot of crops that are harvested in the country. This festivity is done to celebrate the harvest of the Rabi crop. Farmers receive crops like wheat, sugarcanes and oilseeds as Rabi crops. In the region of Punjab, this is a time when the wheat crops in the farms are growing. During this celebration, a portion of the growing crop is given as an offering to God while another portion is shared among the people as Prashad. Apart from the Rabi crop harvest, other crops like pears, mustard, safflower and gram are harvested.
How does the celebration happen?
Among the Sikh, this celebration is marked by the people having an early bath, wearing new clothes and visiting gurdwara which is a place of worship among the Sikh. They go there to carry out prayer sessions and sing religious songs. The people then share a community lunch together. They also have a Baisakhi procession that proceeds through the city.
Among farmers that are found in the villages of Punjab and Haryana, farmers match towards the farms to mark this celebration. They also participate in bhangra and gidda which are traditional folk dances. They celebrate this day to give thanks to God for the harvest. They hence go to the temples to thank God and to pray for abundant harvests in the future.
Conclusion
The Baisakhi festival is a very important festival in India among the Hindu and the Sikh. This festival not only has a religious significance but is also serves as a harvest festival. It is on this day that some farmers on some parts of India come together to celebrate the harvest of the Rabi crop as well as other crops. This is a celebration that has been in existent since the ancient days and the modern generations are still following it through.
By Mary (2019)
Baisakhi - Essay 1.
Baisakhi is one of the most famous festivals of India and Punjab especially celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs combined. It gets celebrated on 14th of April every year.
Sikhs celebrate this festival because 14th of April marks Sikh’s new year and moreover 14th of April commemorates the formation of Khalsa Panth.
Farmers also celebrate this festival because 14th of April also gets celebrated as the great harvesting day. On this day rabi harvests get ripened, and farmers thank god for the growth of their crops.
Why do we celebrate Baisakhi?
There are a number of reasons to celebrate Baisakhi, and most of them are available below:
- The biggest reason to celebrate Baisakhi festival is that on this specific day, Rabi crop gets ripened and farmers get a reason to smile. Farmers believe that growth in their crops is due to the blessings of almighty and that is why farmers arrange various prayer programs on this specific day.
- Another reason to celebrate Baisakhi is to memorize the great formation of Khalsa Panth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji on 14th of April 1699 made the formation of Khalsa Panth which changed the life of Sikhs completely, and after this day, Sikhs tend to have their own existence in the world.
- As the Khalsa Panth got started on 14th of April, all the people belonging to Khalsa Panth believe that their new year has started. So, on this very day, Sikh’s New Year takes place which gets celebrated with a huge joy by Sikh religion.
- This festival gets celebrated with different names throughout the country for example – it gets celebrated as Bikhu in Uttarakhand, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Ugadi in Karnataka and Telangana, Vishu in Kerala, etc.
How do we celebrate Baisakhi?
There are a number of ways by which Baisakhi festival gets celebrated in India:
- Various kinds of traditional dresses get worn by the people who reflect the culture and tradition of Punjab.
- Various kinds of prayer programs get organized at various places in the country in which all the people thank almighty for making them happy and blessing them with great crops.
- Various kinds of folk dances and folk music festivals and events get organized at various places in Punjab, and a lot of places arrange fairs at which people enjoy a lot of roundabouts, traditional dishes, and get to see huge gatherings of people.
- During nights, people get out of their houses and gather at a single place which most of the times is a playground near people’s houses. In this ground, people sit around a bonfire and talk about their lives and enjoy various kinds of games.
So, this is how Baisakhi festival gets celebrated.
Traditional dishes to eat on Baisakhi -
Though people eat a lot of traditional dishes on this marvelous day, but there are four of them which get eaten in almost every house:
- Kadhi Chawal – In this traditional dish, one gets to enjoy traditional white rice, with a specific yellow curry made with special India Masalas. It is a dish which gets enjoyed by each and every person on this day.
- Jalebis – During evenings, people buy lots of Jalebis which is a sweet dish specifically made in India only.
- Halwa – This is another sweet dish which gets made in lots of varieties. Some of the people enjoy Halwa made of sugar; others love Halwa made of jaggery. But one point is for sure that everyone will love this amazing sweet dish.
- Cholle Bhature – This is a traditional Indian breakfast which serves Chickpeas and Bhature which are made by frying tortillas made of Maida.
All in all, Baisakhi is a perfect festival which has no religious barriers, and it can get celebrated by people from all around the country. During Baisakhi, one will definitely notice a point that all the people would be having a great smile on their faces.
By Aparna (2018)
Last updated: June 20, 2019.