Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan (parade) is not about free food. Period.
I am tired of hearing the phrase “free food” in some media coverage without giving a context to it. Yes, the food is served free of cost but the ‘why’ is bigger than the price tag.
Vaisakhi is traditionally celebrated as harvest festival in India. The festival is celebrated as the start of a New Year, throughout the country, under different names and with different local traditions. In the northern state of Punjab, which most of the Sikhs call home, it is called Vaisakhi.
For Sikhs, the festival holds a significant meaning: it is on Vaisakhi day in 1699, the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa (the pure ones) and laid down a code of conduct for the Sikhs. So the festival of Vaisakhi is celebrated as the birthday of Khalsa by Sikhs worldwide; Sikhism was founded by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev.
A Nagar Kirtan, commonly referred to as a parade, usually marks the day of the celebrations. Nagar Kirtan differs from a traditional parade in the sense it has a religious and sacred meaning attached to it. The Punjabi word, nagar denotes town, and kirtan means singing of religious hymns. So Nagar Kirtan literally means going around the town singing sacred hymns.
The Sikh holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, being carried on a float in Surrey Vaisakhi parade on April 20, 2013
Photo: Aziz Dhamani
The day of Vaisakhi parade, the Sikh holy book Sri Guru Granth Sahib is taken on a decorated float along a parade route and Sikhs join the procession singing the praise of the Lord, the Gurus and the Sikh teachings. Along the route, other devotees offer food to people.
Vancouver region hosts two annual Vaisakhi parades: one in Vancouver and the other in Surrey. The Surrey one is growing in numbers each year; this year, on April 20th, it is estimated more than 200,000 people attended the parade, the biggest outside of Punjab in India.
Devotees at the annual Vaisakhi parade in Surrey, British Columbia, on April 20, 2013
Photo: Aziz Dhamani
For the Sikh diaspora, the Vaisakhi procession is a time for the Sikh community to come together and celebrate the foundation of Khalsa, and be a part of community living. The occasion is also used as a platform to bring awareness to social issues. Also, it inadvertently becomes a campaign ground for politicians of all stripes.
But on the celebration of the faith, Sikh teachings ask the followers to cook and eat together and serve each other. It comes from the three tenets of Sikhism, which are:
Naam japo: To remember the One creator and meditate on His presence.
Kirat karo: To work hard and earn through honest means.
Vand chako: To do selfless service and share resources, including food.
That is why, at a Sikh place of worship, called a gurdwara (literally means gateway to the guru) food is always served. It is called langar and yes, it is always free, just like it is done on Vaisakhi day celebrations.
As I said earlier, technically it is free food, but it becomes imperative to explain the context, especially for media persons who are deconstructing the ever-growing parade for other Canadians.
So call it free food, but please don’t say it is the highlight of the parade. The highlight is the essence of Sikhism – selfless service and sharing without giving importance to the price tag. The highlight are the people who spend countless hours preparing the food and making sure it is always served fresh, hot, and with devotion.
(To see more photos from this year’s Surrey Vaisakhi parade, please visit talented local photographer Aziz Dhamani’s Facebook page here.)
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Categories: Canadian Identity
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Sandhu Bhamra on Finding Self 
Thanks for this, Sandhu, because I appreciate getting the background on what the celebration is really about. Your take on how other people seem to promote the festival brings to mind how society looks at Christmas, as if it was all about presents under a tree.
And on a personal interaction with the New Year celebration, I was picking a jury last week and one man asked to be excused for a hardship: he had multiple events to attend for the New Year. I let him go and get rescheduled for another time for jury service. I also excuse people for Rosh Hoshana, Ramadan celebrations, etc. Who am I to tell someone they can’t join with others in a festival of faith?
Blessings,
Tim
Thanks Tim. Yes, I echo your views on Christmas. Last Christmas, I sat down with my daughter and explained why it is a festival and why it is celebrated. Because, to me personally, the whole materialistic commercial angle is shadowing the actual spirit of the festival. And our kids are learning that Christmas is not Christmas till they get a fancy new toy. Not only Christmas, all religious festivals get sacrificed at the hands of marketing and commercialization.
By the way, I wrote a bit today about another parade that actually is (at least in part) about free food (because candy is a food in my book)!
Hi Sandhu I went to Vaisakhi in Surrey and did make a comment about the free food but I really think everyone that went got the ideal the the food was served as if we were guest at their home. It was one of the best events I have ever had the pleasure to go to. I was totally overwhelmed with the joy of the religion and the culture. As a non Sikh it was an eye opener into a beautiful culture. I do plan on going again next year I would not miss it and will be bringing more friends and family from Salt Spring. I actually made a movie of the trip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WSKcs8kM54 The hospitality was so sincere and so real. Thanks all. See you next year. Cheers Scott.
Thank you Scott for saying this in the correct framework. It is even more important for the media to address this in the right light, as they deconstruct this for all Canadians. But I am so glad that your experience was warm and nice. Keep coming back… the culture and the Sikh religion has no restrictions on anyone attending – irrespective of faith, belief, race or any other man-made distinctions.
Wow that’s so beautiful. I’ve never ever heard it described that way. I love the idea of selfless devotion and sharing of (in this case) food! We need more of that!
Thanks and I am glad you found it useful. For a healthier society, all we need is a dialogue and communication.