Vaisakhi, the first day of the month of Vaisakh, is the festival of Punjab. The wheat is golden and ready for the sickle; it is the solar new year; and for Sikhs it is the day in 1699 on which Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib. Gurdwaras are full from before dawn, processions led by the Panj Pyare pass through every town, and in the villages the day ends in bhangra.
The story
Before the Vaisakhi gathering of 1699 the Guru drew his sword and asked who would give his head. One by one, five men of different castes came forward and were led into a tent. They emerged as the Panj Pyare, the Five Beloved, initiated with sweetened water stirred with a two-edged sword; then the Guru asked them to initiate him. Every Sikh so baptised took the name Singh or Kaur.
The day carries a second memory. On Vaisakhi 1919, troops fired on an unarmed crowd in the walled garden of Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, a few hundred yards from the Golden Temple.
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਹਿ
The Khalsa belongs to God; victory belongs to God
The Khalsa greeting given by Guru Gobind Singh
How the day goes
- Ishnan and matha teknaA bath in the sarovar and a visit to the gurdwara at dawn.
- Nishan SahibThe gurdwara's flagpole is washed in milk and given a new saffron cloth.
- Nagar kirtanA procession with the Guru Granth Sahib on a float, the Panj Pyare walking before it and gatka players clearing the way.
- Amrit SancharMany choose this day to be initiated into the Khalsa.
- MelaFairs with wrestling, bhangra and gidda, and the first cut of the wheat.
Why this date
Vaisakhi is the first day of the solar month of Vaisakh, the civil day on which the Sun enters Mesha: 13 or 14 April.
Vaisakhi in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday | |
| 2026 | Tuesday | |
| 2027 | Wednesday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Saturday | |
| 2030 | Sunday |
More Punjabi festivals
4 MarchHoli and Hola Mohallaਹੋਲੀ · ਹੋਲਾ ਮਹੱਲਾ
26 MarchRam Naumiਰਾਮ ਨੌਮੀ
19 AprilAkshaya Tritiyaਅਕਸ਼ੈ ਤ੍ਰਿਤੀਆ
2 AprilHanuman Jayantiਹਨੂੰਮਾਨ ਜਯੰਤੀ
25 JulyDevshayani Ekadashiਦੇਵਸ਼ਯਨੀ ਇਕਾਦਸ਼ੀ
19 MarchChet Navratriਚੇਤ ਦੇ ਨਰਾਤੇ
Where to see Vaisakhi
In Punjab
- Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Anandpur SahibPunjabWhere the Khalsa was founded; the weapons of the Guru are shown.
- Golden Temple, AmritsarPunjabLit at night, with the sarovar ringed by pilgrims.
- Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi SaboPunjabThe Vaisakhi fair of the Malwa, where the Guru completed the scripture.
- Jallianwala Bagh, AmritsarPunjabThe walled garden of the 1919 massacre, now a memorial.
Across India
- Paonta SahibHimachal PradeshThe town Guru Gobind Singh founded on the Yamuna.
- HaridwarUttarakhandThe Baisakhi bath in the Ganga, the first day of the Hindu solar year.
- GuwahatiAssamRongali Bihu, the same new year in the east.