Vaisakhi: Celebrating the Sikh New Year in the Punjab

Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, marks the Sikh new year. On this day, we celebrate the spring harvest tradition as well as the birth of the Sikh homeland in the Punjap region of India. In Hinduism, it marks the Goddess Ganga’s descent to Earth. In India, Hindu devotees visit temples and take ritual bath in the sacred Ganges, Jhelum, and Kaveri rivers. They believe that the sacred waters will wash their sins away. For thousands of years, the tradition of Vaisakhi has been celebrated as a festival for the harvesting of Rabi crops (winter crops) at springtime. On Vaisakhi day, village folk take to the fields in color attire and sing and dance. The reading aloud of scriptures, the chanting of hymns, music, the fairs, and the parades all form an inherent part of Vaisakhi celebrations.