Essay on Baisakhi: The harvesting season of the wheat crop in April is celebrated in India by the name of Baisakhi. It is a popular festival of Sikhs and Hindus. Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa Panth in the year 1699, and this important commemoration was started with the celebration of Baisakhi. New clothes, fairs, preparation of special dishes and visits to temples to offer prayers mark the day’s activities. Punjab and Haryana celebrate this festival to exemplify unity and brotherhood.
Essay on Baisakhi 500 Words in English
Below we have provided Baisakhi Essay in English, suitable for class 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10.
Baisakhi is one of the prominent festivals in the Sikh community that is celebrated in India, especially in Punjab and Haryana. It is also known as Vaisakhi and falls in April every year. The festival is dedicated to welcome the arrival of the harvest season. Also, the festival marks the New Year for the Sikh community. Moreover, it is also celebrated in Pakistan as many Sikhs have resided thereafter the partition of India. Countries like Canada, Los Angeles, United Kingdom and Manhattan also witness this festival because of the vast Sikh community situating there permanently. People celebrate it with immense joy and fervour.
Story of Baisakhi Festival
The tale of the festival commences with the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru who was publicly beheaded by Aurangzeb. In those times, the Mughal rule was dominant, and they had a wicked plan of spreading Islam in India and converting everyone into a Muslim. Guru Teg Bahadur could not withstand this and stood up against them to fight for the rights of Hindus and Sikhs. Since people started believing in him, they too joined his movement and retaliated against the Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb was infuriated by Guru Teg Bahadur’s action and declared him as a threat. Therefore, he was killed in public to create terror among the people. After the death of Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh succeeded him as the next Guru. In 1699, on the occasion of Baisakhi, he reshaped the Sikh community into a family of soldier saints who were known as Khalsa Panth. He was the pioneer to found Khalsa Panth in the presence of thousands at Anandpur Sahib.
During the festival, He had put up a tent and came out of it carrying a sword and challenging any Sikh who was ready to sacrifice his life to enter into the tent. He kept on repeating this action until five men volunteered and disappeared into the tent. The people present in the crowd were curious and concerned to know what happened to those men. Then suddenly they saw the five men return wearing turbans with the Guru. The Guru baptised these men into the Khalsa. Later, these five were referred to as ‘Panj Piare’ or ‘Beloved Five’.
Celebration of Baisakhi
Baisakhi is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm. The entire atmosphere gets filled with vibrant colours and festive energy. A lot of processions known as Nagar Kirtans led by five Khalsas passes across the streets in the morning. In Punjab, the Golden Temple is adorned with sparkling lights. Devotees attend special prayers organized in Gurudwara and attend fairs. Bhangra and Gidda dance performances, music, folk songs, and traditional food are the unique attraction of the festival.
Kada Prasad is a signature dessert which is distributed among the people. In Gurudwara, Langar is arranged where the people relish food. Sikh community is popular in terms of their lively energy, joyous nature and positive attitude; hence their festival reflects their merriest state. The family members, neighbours, friends and relatives come together to celebrate the festival.