Guru Nanak Jayanti or Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurupurab is the festival where Sikhs celebrate the birth of their first guru: Guru Nanak. The literal meaning of the word Gurupurab is “the day of the Guru”. According to the Hindu calendar, the month of Puranmashi of Kartik in 1469 is the date of birth of the guru who is the founder of Sikhism.
This year, the date is November 30 and it is the 551st birthday of Guru Nanak. He was born in the Talwindi region. His birthplace is now called Nankanan Sahib and it is located in Pakistan.
To celebrate this important day, the Sikhs eliminate Prabhat Pheris. They are morning processions in which people begin to gather at the gurdwara and then go through the town singing hymns.
In most gurdwaras, there is also an uninterrupted reading of the sacred book of the Sikhs called Guru Granth Sahib. This ritual is called the Akhand Path.
One day before Gurupurab, a procession called Nagarkirtan is organized. There are devotional singers in the procession who sing hymns. The procession has a palanquin of Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh flag called Nishan Sahib.
At Guru Nanak Jayanti, the celebrations begin with Amrit Vela around 4 am in the morning. Starting the day with the morning hymns called Asaa-ki-Vaar, the devotees then move on to reading the scripture called Katha. Then the devotees sing hymns in praise of Guru Nanak.
Then a community meal called Langar is organized for the devotees who come to the celebration. Langar is organized by volunteers in gurdwaras. It is open to all regardless of caste, class and gender, and it generally occurs in most gurdwaras on other days, besides Guru Nanak Jayanti.
After the evening prayer sessions, night prayers are also organized in some gurdwaras. There is a kirtan and the Guru’s followers chant Gurbani late at night, and the celebrations continue until 2 am.
It is an important festival for the followers of Sikhism and they celebrate it with fervor.
.
