Guru Nanak Gurpurab, on the full moon of Kattak, celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, in 1469. Two days before, an unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib begins in every gurdwara. The day before, a procession carries the scripture through the town. On the day, hymns are sung from four in the morning, langar is served to all comers without distinction, and at night the gurdwaras are lit with lamps.
The story
Nanak was born at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. At Sultanpur Lodhi, where he worked as a storekeeper, he went to bathe in the Bein stream one morning and was not seen for three days; he returned to say that there is one God and no division between people, and set out on four long journeys, east to Assam, south to Lanka, north to Tibet and west to Mecca.
He settled at Kartarpur on the Ravi, farming and teaching, and there began the langar, the common kitchen where all sit in one row and eat the same food.
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਮ ਚੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਕਲਾ, ਤੇਰੇ ਭਾਣੇ ਸਰਬੱਤ ਦਾ ਭਲਾ
Nanak says: through the Name, may spirits ever rise; and by Your will, may all people prosper
The close of the Ardas, the Sikh prayer
How it is kept
- Prabhat pheriIn the weeks before, groups walk the lanes before dawn singing hymns.
- Akhand PathThe forty-eight-hour unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Nagar kirtanThe procession the day before, led by the Panj Pyare.
- Asa di Var and kathaThe early-morning hymns, then discourse on the Guru's life.
- LangarThe free meal, cooked and served by volunteers.
- Deep malaLamps and fireworks at night.
Why this date
Guru Nanak Gurpurab is kept on Kattak Puranmashi, the full-moon tithi of Kartik, on the day it is present at sunrise.
Guru Nanak Gurpurab in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wednesday | |
| 2026 | Tuesday | |
| 2027 | Sunday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Tuesday | |
| 2030 | Sunday |
More Punjabi festivals
8 NovemberDiwali and Bandi Chhor Divasਦੀਵਾਲੀ · ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ
29 OctoberKarwa Chauthਕਰਵਾ ਚੌਥ
13 January 2027Lohriਲੋਹੜੀ
14 January 2027Maghiਮਾਘੀ
20 OctoberDussehraਦੁਸਹਿਰਾ
6 March 2027Maha Shivaratriਮਹਾਂ ਸ਼ਿਵਰਾਤਰੀ
Where to see Guru Nanak Gurpurab
In Punjab
- Golden Temple, AmritsarPunjabLit through the night, with fireworks over the sarovar.
- Gurdwara Ber Sahib, Sultanpur LodhiPunjabBeside the Bein, where Nanak's mission began.
- Dera Baba NanakPunjabThe Indian end of the Kartarpur corridor, facing the gurdwara across the border.
Across India
- Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, DelhiDelhiThe capital's chief gurdwara, with its pool and vast langar.
- Takht Sri Patna SahibBiharThe birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.
- Gurdwara Nanak Jhira, BidarKarnatakaA spring said to have risen where Nanak stopped on his southern journey.