Happy Gurpurab 2018: It’s Guru Nanak Dev Parkash Utsav or Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 23, Friday. Guru Nanak Dev was the first Sikh guru who laid the foundation of Sikhism.

The day is celebrated as Gurpurab, also spelt Gurpurb, in the month of Kartik. It is an occasion for celebrations and prayers among the Sikhs. The celebrations begin two days before the Gurpurab, with Akhand Path – an uninterrupted reading of the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib from beginning to end. This is done by a group of Sikh men and women, each reading for two to three hours over 48 hours. The path ends early on the morning of Guru Nanak’s birthday.

The celebrations are really grand in the northern states of India, especially in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. At gurdwaras, special programmes are arranged and religious songs, various lectures and poems are recited in praise of the Guru. Gurdwaras and houses are lit up a few days prior to the Parkash Utsav to add to the festivities. This is one of the most religious days celebrated in Sikh religion. Prabhat pheris start spreading a beautiful aura of warmth in the cold pre-dawn a few days before the auspicious day. The Sikh believers gather at local gurdwaras and walk through their local streets singing devotional songs and playing simple instruments like dholak and manjira. The sound of songs and instruments fill the air with devotion.

The day of Gurpurab starts with processions carrying the holy book decorated with flowers. People carry Sikh flags and organise a palki of ‘Guru Granth Sahib’. Hymns are sung by a team of singers with bands playing different tunes. The palki is followed by an amazing display of swordsmanship and martial arts by Nihangs.

Once the procession is over, a puja is performed at the gurdwara followed by distribution of a warm karah prasad among the people. Karah prasad is made of semolina or wheat flour, pure ghee and sugar. After that people partake a ‘Guru Ka Langar’ , which depicts the beautiful Sikh spirit of serving the public and sharing a meal together. People actively take part in doing seva and offering food. The festivities extend to a prayer session around sunset. Followers gather at the gurdwara post midnight also as it is said Guru Nanak Dev was born at 1.20 am.

Since childhood, Guru Nanak Dev was attracted towards spirituality, humanity, devotion and goodness. One day he decided to become an ascetic. He was greatly influenced by Hindu and Muslim religions. He started preaching the masses.

Guru Nanak’s teachings:

· God is the creator of all and he himself takes the human form.

· God is one. He is worshipped with different names in different religions.

· Serve God by serving living beings. Service to mankind is the biggest service. So, help the needy in the best possible way putting the other’s needs before one’s own.

· God is inside you. Discover him first inside you, then make your journeys.

· Love God by being compassionate towards all living beings.

· In the eyes of God, all are same. Treat everyone equally irrespective of the caste, creed, age, sex or status.

· Lead a simple life following the path of truth and honesty.

· Keep performing good deeds without being scared of anything.

Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469 and passed away in 1539. He was succeeded by Guru Angad Dev, and had been eight Sikh gurus after him, before Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, declared that there would be no living guru thereafter, and the Granth Sahib would be considered the embodiment of the Guru, since it contained their collective wisdom.

Wish you a very happy Gurpurab 2018!