Food, connections and long-held traditions of Sikhi hallmark annual celebration near Lynden
Sikhs, neighbors, and friends from both sides of the border were treated to Sikh foods, music, and demonstrations of martial arts and other traditions in a Vaisakhi Day celebration at the Guru Nanak Gursikh Gurdwara (temple) near Lynden on Saturday. The festival is one of the major events in the Sikh calendar.
The celebration commemorates actions in 1699 in the city of Anandpur in the Punjab region of India, when Sikhs committed to stand up against the genocide being inflicted on Hindus and Sikhs by the Mughal Empire. It marks the day Guru Gobind Singh created the order of Khalsa, a voluntary, defense-only knighthood whose women and men vow to never attack, but to always defend the innocent and oppressed from attack.
At Saturday’s celebration:
Festive flags off the main entrance to the gurdwara flutter in the breeze. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
Got a plate? Curries, masalas, and other traditional foods — all vegetarian — were available in tents outside the gurdwara for festival-goers. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
Women’s garments comprise a spectrum of color. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
Oranges — many, many oranges — are peeled and prepped on Friday, to be juiced for drinking on Saturday. (Mike Sato / Salish Current)
Gatka is the traditional martial art of the Khalsa knighthood, used in hand-to-hand combat. Sikh children are encouraged to learn gatka as a way to remember their history, keep fit, and develop body awareness skills, confidence and courage. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
Traditional Khalsa knighthood colors of orange and blue and yellow and blue are worn by parade participants. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
The peak of the Vaisakhi Day festival is when the Sikh Teacher — the holy book Sri Guru Granth Sahib — is installed on a simple float and paraded around the gurdwara grounds. The book is attended by one of two people reading from it and by musicians. Parade-goers walk alongside, singing. (Amy Nelson / Salish Current)
At left, two young boys pause for a photo on their way through the festival; at right, a martial artist demonstrates his skill by slicing a banana placed atop a companion’s head — while blindfolded. (Mike Sato / Salish Current)
— Text contributed by Kamalla Kaur
[Ed. — Kamalla Kaur serves on the Salish Current board of directors.]
