 The
Sikh faith the celebration of Guru Nanak is of great importance. As
Sikhs we celebrate the birthday of the first Guru (teacher/prophet),
who without question made way for the Sikh faith, by laying the foundations
through his teachings.
My
single aim is just to explain about the celebrations which take
place on Guru Nanak 's birthday, but it would also be relevant to
just give a little background history of Guru Nanak without going
into great detail.
I remember lighting fireworks and giving out matiya to many
Sikh brothers and sisters at last year's birthday of Guru Nanak.
 |
| Gagandeep
Dhaliwal of Barton Peveril College |
Guru
Nanak was born in 1469 - over five hundred years ago -in the area
of north India known as Punjab, in a village named Talvandi.
In
common with other great religious teachers of the past, such as
Buddha, Jesus or Muhammad, it was their message that mattered not
their physical appearance.
Many
Sikhs across the world and of course in Southampton have just finished
celebrating Divali, so Guru Nanak's birthday marks the second religious
event to be celebrated by Sikhs in less than a month.
Divali
is a totally different religious event when compared to Guru Nanak's
birthday. However it still follows the same patterns and celebrations
as Divali does for the Sikhs.
 |
| Govinda
is also a presenter on Unity24 Radio. |
A
typical celebration for Sikhs on Guru Nanak's birthday will see
many Sikhs across Southampton congregate in one of the many Gurdwaras.
When
inside the Gurdwara many Sikhs will join in the ceremony and recite
from the kirtan (religious hymns), which are composed by the Raghis
(musicians/priests). Also it is very common for the Raghis also
to recite quotations from Guru Nanak's teachings.
|
The best bit about the celebration is the gathering of the congregation
& the togetherness of all the Sikh brothers and sisters
in the Gurdwara. |
| Sandeep
Hothi of Barton Peveril College |
The
whole ceremony lasts about 2-3 hours and usually takes place in
the evening. After the religious ceremony is over, many Sikhs young
and old flock to their local shops in attempt to find some fireworks.
The
mateyia (Indian sweets) are given out - this is very common on Guru
Nanak's birthdays and almost every Sikh household will stock up
with mateyia boxes. The Gurdawaras also hand out sweets usually
in boxes, much to the delight of little kids.
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