AdminHUNDREDS of Glasgow Sikhs took in perfect weekend weather to process through the city in celebration of the Vaisakhi festival. Members of the four Glasgow Gurdwara communities took part in the event on Sunday that included martial-arts displays, hymn singing and plenty of food as it weaved through the city. The Vaisakhi is often falsely […]
HUNDREDS of Glasgow Sikhs took in perfect weekend weather to process through the city in celebration of the Vaisakhi festival.
Members of the four Glasgow Gurdwara communities took part in the event on Sunday that included martial-arts displays, hymn singing and plenty of food as it weaved through the city.
The Vaisakhi is often falsely labelled as the Sikh new year, but actually represents the day of the creation of the Khalsa, the “eternal living embodiment of the Sikh Guru”. The annual processions, which have been part of British life for more than 40 years, are led by five members of the Khalsa, marking a time for reflection in the community.
A spokesman for the Glasgow Gurdwara explained: “In 1699 in Punjab, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, asked a crowd of thousands if anyone would be willing to give their heads to their Guru.
“In response, five men – all of differing castes and backgrounds – stepped up to offer their heads to their Guru. After anxious moments where Guru Gobind Singh Ji took the men into a tent, only to emerge with a bloody sword, the men emerged dressed in what is now recognised as traditional Sikh garbs.
“Guru Gobind Singh Ji then publicly initiated the men, before asking them to do the same for him. These men, later known as the Panj Pyare (five beloved ones) and were the very first members of the Khalsa.”
About 30 such processions take place across the UK welcoming tens of thousands of people.
~ Source: dailyrecord.co.uk