Guru Nanak Jayanthi
Last Updated on March 19, 2019
Few Lines about Guru Nanak Jayanti
- Guru Nanak Jayanthi is a sacred festival of Sikhs.
- It marks the birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.
- This year Guru Nanak Jayanthi or Gurpurab is celebrated on November 14th.
- The festival is celebrated for 3 days.
- The teachings of Guru Nanak are based on equality and one God.
- During the festival, Sikhs offer free community lunch for everyone at the Gurudwaras.
- Guru Nanak Jayanthi celebrations denotes loving and serving everyone without social discrimination.
Guru Nanak Jayanthi Essay : (Short Essay)
Sikh community is the fourth largest religious population in India. It is the ninth largest population in the world. This is why Guru Nanak Jayanthi or Gurpurab is an important and widely celebrated festival around the world.
Guru Nanak Jayanthi is celebrated for three days, starting from the non-stop reading of Guru Granth Sahib in in Gurudwaras. This process is called Akhand Path and starts two days prior to the birthday of Guru. On the day of Guru Nanak Jayanthi, the early morning possession starts around 4-5 am, carrying the holy book and the flag in a decorated palanquin. A team of holy singers sing hymns on the praise of Guru. The holy possession moves through the localities and reach the Gurudwaras. A free communal lunch called Langar is offered afterwards. The entire festival teaches about the universal God and equality. The lunch is offered to eliminate social discrimination and suffering of starving-poor.
Guru Nanak Jayanthi Essay : (Brief Essay)
Guru Nanak Jayanthi or otherwise Guru Nanak Gurpurab is one of the sacred festivals celebrated by Sikhs. Guru Nanak Jayanthi marks the birth of the founder of Sikhism, who is the first of all the ten Gurus of Sikhs, named Nanak. This festival is celebrated worldwide on the Full Moon day of the Kartikai month according to Hindu Lunar Calendar. Usually, the festival falls during the English months of October or November.
Who is this Guru Nanak?
Guru Nanak was born on April 15, 1469. His belief was on the existence of one God. He spread the message everywhere he travelled. As a teacher, his teachings are filed in the holy book of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib. His preaching was based on one God and how this God loves everyone, without any discrimination. The followers of his belief are known as Sikhs. They celebrate their Guru, Guru Nanak Dev’s birthday every year, in the name of Guru Nanak Gurpurab.
How Guru Nanak Jayanthi is celebrated?
The celebration of Guru Nanak Jayanthi is similar to many other Gurpurab festivals. The festival start with Prabhat Pheris or the early morning processions at the Gurudwaras. Singing of Asa-di-Var or the hymns are done by the localities in praise of the Guru. The possession carries the holy book and the flag decorated with flowers. Before the festival, there is a tradition of reading the holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, for continuous forty-eight-hours in the Gurudwaras. The leaders spread the message of Guru Nanak on this day through the processions. During the procession, Sikh marital arts are performed along with local band hymns. Following that, there is a special community lunch called Langar, arranged by volunteers. This free communal lunch denotes the idea of offering food to everyone, irrespective of class, caste, or creed, with a sense of service and devotion. Even few Hindus participate in this festival. They visit the Gurudwaras during worship and offer prayers. The holy festival of Guru Nanak Dev teaches equality without any discrimination.