Baisakhi

India is a land of many festivals. Baisakhi is a festival held on the first day of the month Baisakh, which begins on the 13th of April.

Baisakhi is considered the most important festival in the Punjab. Punjabis congregate in large numbers to celebrate Baisakhi and to hear their community leaders talk.

The Baisakhi of 1919 proved to be one of the most signifcant in modern history. The tragedy of Jallian Wala Bagh marked the first major setback in the fight for India's freedom. Hundreds of innocent people, men, women and children were killed by General Dyer and his troops. This event shook the British Empire and only brought the Indian people closer together in their fight for freedom.

Punjab is an agriculturally rich province. The main crop, wheat, is ready for harvest at Baisakhi. The harvest brings properity to every home, and a new business season begins. Happiness is everywhere.

Baisakhi has special significance for Sikhs all over the world. On April 13, 1699 Guru Gobind Singh invited all the Sikhs to Anandpur. It was there that the Khalsa was created. The Guru abolished the castes and pronounced everyone equal under Sikhism.

He instructed Sikhs to greet each other by saying "Wahe guru ji ka Khalsa, Whae guru ji ki Fateh".

On Baisakhi, the cold season ends and summer begins. People shed their thick clothes and blankets and dress in bright colourful clothes and celebrate the new season with song and dance.

The Bhangra is a very popular folk dance. It is an expression of the joy of the Punjabi farmer on seeing the strong and healthy crops ready for harvest. The Bhangra is an expression of life, of renewal, of hope for the future. It is indeed the national folk dance of Punjab.

The men congregate in an open field and dance to the beat of the dhol (a drum). They dress in the traditional costume of kurta (a long loose-fitting shirt), waistcoat and tehmat (a loose sarong wrapped around the legs), brightly coloured scarves and a turban with a long plume at the back.

A drummer carries the dhol on a strap around his neck and beats the two heads of the drum with sticks. The leader of the dance stands by him. The dancers usually move in a circle and the village people join in one by one. They all take turns to recite a verse of the song (boli), coming to the centre with their hands gesturing into the air. Baisakhi is a joyous celebration for the farmers of Punjab.

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