At Rupinder Kaur’s home in Surrey, the decorations are set, food has been ordered and a celebration cake is on standby as she prepares to celebrate Vaisakhi with family.
“We do this to involve our children and make it a magical day for them – so they know it’s not a normal day,” says the founder of Asian Women Mean Business.
Vaisakhi is the most important event in the Sikh calendar, celebrated by millions worldwide. For Sikhs, it’s on this day that the Khalsa was created. The Khalsa is the army of saint-soldiers that were created to bring peace, happiness and to protect the downtrodden.
It’s usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year, which is also regarded as the start of the farming year in Punjab, where farmers harvest their crops and reap the benefits of a year of hard work.
Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi by going to the Gurdwara (place of worship) and performing selfless service. They will sing praises of God in the form of ‘Kirtan’ and will listen to discourses of historical events relating to Vaisakhi. Processions in streets also take place called ‘Nagar Kirtans.’
While many marked Vaisakhi virtually or socially distanced for the past two years, 2022 marks a return to full celebrations.
“After two years of very muted celebrations we are looking forward to celebrating Vaisakhi this year in the full glory and spirit it is meant to be commemorated, with our wider family, friends and Sangat (holy congregation),” says Kaur.
Khalsa Primary School in Slough has been celebrating since last week and the celebration continues.
Mandeep Singh, Sikh studies coordinator and teacher at the school, is grateful that Vaisakhi is finally back. “After two missed Vaisakhi celebrations, due to the lockdowns and Covid restrictions, children and staff were ecstatic that they could finally celebrate Vaisakhi in full swing like they did back in April 2019,” he says.
“Many young children had little memory of their last Vaisakhi celebration at the school and some had never seen one before. Children came to school dressed in traditional clothes and have been busy preparing for a Vaisakhi assembly for weeks before, by learning to sing religious hymns associated with the theme of Vaisakhi.”
Every year Vaisakhi celebrations take place in Trafalgar Square where more than 30,000 have gathered in the past and it’s back this year.
Indy Singh Hothi, who volunteers as an advisor to the Mayor of London to coordinate the Vaisakhi celebrations, is eagerly looking forward to celebrating on Saturday April 16.
“After a two-year hiatus, my wife Jaspreet Kaur and I are really excited to see Vaisakhi being celebrated across towns and cities in the UK,” he says. “It’s even better that Londoners of all backgrounds attend and we get to share our rich heritage, tradition and culture.
“Vaisakhi has always been an important time for both of us and our families. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the five values which underpin Vaisakhi: compassion (daya), righteousness (haram), courage (himmat), commitment (mokham) and leadership (sahib).
“The pandemic over the last two years really impacted our ability to celebrate
Vaisakhi as we weren’t able to visit the Gurdwara or take part in Nagar Kirtans. It was really tough as what we had traditionally done as a family and as a broader community to celebrate had been stopped or transitioned online, which just didn’t feel the same.”
Not everyone is fortunate to be with their family this year and some are finding alternative ways to celebrate.
Amandeep Singh, a volunteer at Khalsa Aid at Warsaw Expo Centre, has been helping serve food and provide support to those who have managed to escape from Ukraine.
“I came to Poland in February and have been here for nearly two months and it’s been a tough two years because of the pandemic, but even more upsetting to be here seeing the sadness in those who have lost loved ones in the war,” Singh says.
“This year to mark Vaisakhi I will be away from my family home, but we will be celebrating with our second family here in Poland. We have eggless cake, prashad, onion bhajis, chips, mango lassi and masala chai and for the kids we will have chocolates.
“We want to celebrate like we used to in India and it’s also the 23rd anniversary since the start of Khalsa Aid, so a double celebration.”
The very popular and colourful Nagar Kirtan in Gravesend is back since the last one in 2019 and is on a much bigger scale. The procession normally attracts between 5,000 to 10,000 people and potentially more with sunshine expected this weekend.
Manpreet Singh Dhaliwal, Mukh Sewadar (president) at Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend, welcomes back the Nagar Kirtan.
“It’s going to be a wonderful day and we are really excited to be able to celebrate together after two years. There will be langar (free food) provided. There will be a Dharmic Mela (religious festival) in the grounds of the Gurdwara, with religious singing and music from the stage, a funfair, many stalls representing local and national official agencies, charities and businesses.
“Again, everyone is welcome to come and join the festivities.”
Although the community is welcoming the return of pre-pandemic celebrations, Covid has not been forgotten just yet.
As the organisers of the Gravesend event say: “We ask everyone attending this year to undertake a Covid lateral flow test and if positive, please enjoy the celebrations from home.”
However you’re celebrating, enjoy!