Vaisakhi: Celebrating harvest and new year

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With the arrival of the month of Chaitra come all the new years and harvest festivals tumbling over each other. With the first day of Chaitra bringing Goodi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, and Ugadi, the Southern Indian New Year which both co-incide with Chaitra Navratri which also began on the first day of Chaitra, Baisakhi or Vaisakhi (used interchangeably) could not be far away.

However, Vaisakhi also wants a lot of company as did Chaitra Navratri. So it brings in its friends the Nepalese New Year and the Bengali New Year in tow on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Baisakhi is the harvesting of the Robi Crop of winter and is widely celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir as the New Year.

But for Sikhs, Vaisakhi comes as the day the Khalsa was consecrated. Story has it that Sikh Guru Gobind Singh could pick five volunteers when he asked his followers to be prepared to give up their lives. Instead of killing them as the crowd expected, Guru baptized them with Amrit and formed 5-member group of saint-soldiers he named ‘Khalsa’.

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The five men of Khalsa were known as the five Ks, representing Kesh, Katchera, Kangha, Kirpan and the Kara. Since then, Sikhs celebrate the day of Baisakhi commemorating the ‘Khalsa’ baptism day, and spray amrit. Nagar Kirtan, a singing procession of five Khalsa, holding a picture of Guru Gobind Singh is also part of the Sikh celebration of Baisakhi, while Gurudwaras are decorated in light and hold kirtans.

Vaisakhi day is the New Year’s day for the Sikhs also, who follow the Nanakshahi calendar. It is a festive holiday for them, with businesses remaining closed for the day or open for only half a day. Schools and colleges are also closed.

Sikhs bathe early in the morning on Baisakhi day, dress in new clothes and visit the Gurudwaras for a special prayer. The Guru  Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, is bathed in milk. The highlight of the Baisakhi day and special prayer is the ‘Khada Prasad’ that is distributed and a communal meal ‘langar’ specially prepared for the day by volunteers. The Guru Granth Sahib is then taken out in a procession in the afternoon.

Baisakhi is celebrated by the rest as a joyous day with cultural events, Bhangra dances, local fairs, good food and sweets. Many people also bathe in the holy rivers near them including the Ganga. People dress up in new clothes and visit temples and Gurudwaras, friends and family members. New businesses begin on Baisakhi day. Schools and colleges hold open air events the whole day with cultural dance and music.

The Golden Temple at Amritsar is considered the holiest place to visit on Baisakhi. It was at the temple that Guru Gobind Singh created Khalsa. Special prayers are held throughout the day of Baisakhi there which is visited by thousands of people each year.

In Punjab, Baisakhi is celebrated traditionally with dance and song concerts, and festive community meals. Haryana celebrates it with their historic huge fair with song and dance competitions. Many people travel specially to see Baisakhi at Chandigarh to visit Gurudwaras, and the song and dance concerts. Jalandhar is famous for their mixed group Bhangras and singing.

Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is celebrated more city style in Delhi with various cultural events through the day. Delhi is well known for its Baisakhi community parties.

The Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh is celebrated by all Bengalis of any faith. It falls on Baisakhi day in West Bengal, Tripura, Jharkhand and Assam. Pohela Boishakh is also a harvest festival and is celebrated with cultural and religious activities through the day, with processions and fairs, visiting family and friends and eating traditional Bengali cuisine. The Nepalese New Year which also falls on Baisakhi day is a day celebrated traditionally with visits to the temples, family get-togethers, processions and fairs, and good food.

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