Sikhs (turbaned bearded dudes that my son thought were Aladdin genie’s when he was 2) celebrate Vaisakhi as the creation of the Khalsa. It’s different from the Sikh new year or harvest festival.
We happened to be going to Southall in west London (little India) to go shopping for authentic Indian food, snacks and stuff, and happened upon a closed high street with stalls being set up and a LOT of turbans, and a lot of orange headscarves.
The Khalsa is a special group/clan of warriors who historically were created to protect the innocent from religious persecution. They follow a stricter form of Sikhism which includes no intoxicants, no cutting of body hair and a dress code (five Ks – look it up). They were similar to European medieval knights I guess, but without the land grabbing greed. A super proud warrior who must always do the right thing. The 16th century creation of the Khalsa is quite an important part of Sikh history and is celebrated during Nagar Kirtan.
There were loads of street food stalls offering free food. Yes, free food?? In London??
So what I’ve gleaned from speaking to some of the locals, Nagar Kirtan means town singing, stemming from the Punjab region of India, when Sikhs would wake up before dawn and join in groups to sing God’s praises on their way to the Guedwara (Sikh temple).
And what’s with the free food? Everywhere you looked, there was a market stall with bottles of water, masala chai, bowls of sweet rava, ice cream, masala chips, breads with sauces and pakora.
Sikhism advocates equality, social justice, service to humanity, and tolerance for other religions. (I really love the last line).
The service to humanity or selfless service is enacted in all Gurdwaras, as they serve free food from their langar (community kitchen) to all visitors regardless of race, religion or social status. We were lucky enough to visit an Gurdwara when in Jaipur and were offered the same food in the communal hall.
So on this celebration day, free food was offered to all and anyone could join in the festivities.
The crowds were immense with a carnival atmosphere. There were dancers and bearded dudes with swords and singers and drums. Pretty amazing for west London!
On a personal note, I think Sikh’s are cool. They’re kind of like Klingons from Star Trek. Honourable warriors that have a strong code of ethics, are tolerant of all and generally are totally badass (no offence meant). Oh, and they can carry swords in public!
Travel Dude 