Sikh Center of Riverside, California to Celebrate Vaisakhi 2024
Los Angeles/Apr 16, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
Millions of Sikhs around the world celebrate Vaisakhi, traditionally on April 14, especially in India. Vaisakhi is a spring festival which happens on the 13 or 14 April every year. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa - that's the collective name given to Sikhs who've been baptised. Vaisakhi also known as Khalsa Day celebrates the Sikh New Year.
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The 2024 Riverside Vaisakhi Day Festival is set to take place on Sunday, April 14th, at the Sikh Center Riverside in California.
While celebrations take place predominantly in northern India, the festival is also observed around the world in countries including Canada, Malaysia UK and USA |
Jaswant Singh Jhawar |
Balbir Singh Jhawar |
Dr.Surinder.Singh.Kohli |
The initiation of the first Khalsa, the 10th Sikh guru invited five Sikhs from a gathering of thousands to "step forward to give their heads" if they wished to "give their lives in fighting oppression and upholding righteousness".
The Nishan Sahib dates back to 1606, when Sixth Guru Har Gobind raised the first Sikh flag over the Akal Takhat seat of authority in Amritsar, India.
Why is the Nishan Sahib important to Sikhs?
The nishan sahib often commands the respect and reverence of the Sikhs as the marker of gurudwara, "the sign which leads them towards the Darbar of the historical Gurus and of the Eternal Guru' in which truth, justice, and sovereignty have been established"
The Nishan Sahib is a Sikh holy triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end taken down every Baisakhi, and replaced with a fresh flag, and the flagpole refurbished. The word, Nishan means symbol, and the flag is hoisted on a tall flagpole, outside most Gurudwaras. The Nishan Sahib can be seen from far away, signifying the presence of Khalsa in the neighbourhood. The Nishan Sahib is placed outside every Sikh Gurdwara and is supported by a pole of timber or metal.
- The flagpole itself covered with fabric, ends with a two-edged dagger (khanda) on top
- khanda (☬): The emblem on the flag is known as Khanda, which depicts a double-edged sword called a khanda (☬) in the centre, a chakkar which is circular, and flanked by two single-edged swords, or kirpans.
- The Nishan Sahib is changed once the saffron color has faded.
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