Baisakhi is New Year's Day in Punjab. It falls on April 13, though once in 36 years it occurs on 14th April. It marks the foundation of the Khalsa (the Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, on this day in 1699. The Sikhs, therefore, celebrate this festival as a collective birthday.
Baisakhi is celebrated with music and dancing. Sikhs visit gurdwaras (Sikh temples) and listen to kirtans (religious songs) and discourses. After the prayer, kada prasad (sweetened semolina) is served to the congregation. The function ends with langar (the community lunch) served by volunteers.
Processions are taken out. Mock duels and bands playing religious tunes are part of the processions. These are followed by readings from Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
Baisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab. It is seen as a festival of thanks giving and it marks the beginning of the next agricultural season by sowing.
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