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Riverside, California, Oct. 15, 2018
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Sikhs from southern California USA celebrated the 550th birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak with a Nagar Kirtan on Sunday November 11, 2018. Langar, sweets and other items of food were distributed throughout the day. March rally stretched a mile long, lead by the Panj Piyare in beautiful traditional Garb. Sikhs from Sikh Temple Riverside together with Sikh Education Empire Gurudwara of Riverside joined in the celebrations. Lots of floats represented Sikh memorabilia and history. Refreshments and snacks were being distributed along the way. Local residents turned out in large numbers to enjoy the festivities. 

Guru Nanak Gurpurab or Guru Nanak Jayanti marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak. It is considered as the most sacred day in Sikhism and will be celebrated across India and the world on November 4, Saturday. The date of the festival varies from year to year, according to the Indian lunar calendar. Guru Nanak Dev was born on 15th April in the year 1469 in Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi (Nankana Sahib), now in Lahore, Pakistan.

Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism and the first of the Sikh Gurus. He was born in Punjab India (modern day Pakistan) and gave spiritual teachings based on the universal divinity of creation. God and the cycle of life. Sikhs believe that human beings spend their time in a cycle of birth, life, and rebirth. They share this belief with followers of other Indian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The quality of each particular life depends on the law of Karma.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born on Vaisakhi Day, April 5, 1469 [O.S. March 27, 1469, (Vaisakh 1, 1526 Bikrami)in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District of Pakistan, now Nankana Sahib.It is a Gazetted holiday in India.

According to the controversial Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, it claims Guru Nanak was born on the Full Moon (Pooranmashi) of the Indian Lunar Month Katik.

The Sikhs have been celebrating Guru Nanak's Gurpurab around November for this reason and has it been ingrained in Sikh Traditions.

The procession, which celebrates the Guru Nanak birthday, founder of Sikhism, was also fronted by the “Panj Pyare” - meaning five beloved ones – in their traditional attire. It was followed by the main float, which carried the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, as the crowds moved forward to pay their respects.

Nearly 500 years ago, a Sikh guru Guru Nanak living in the Indian subcontinent introduced a revolutionary idea when it comes to the consumption of food. The idea was simple enough: a place should exist where everyone, regardless of religion or social status, could sit on the ground together as equals and eat the same food.

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