By: Amrit Kamaal, Peak Associate
As a Surrey civilian, I wanted to shed light on one of the greatest celebrations that Sikhs share with the community, the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan parade. This parade takes place annually in the month of April, which is now recognized as Sikh Heritage Month by the BC government. Historically, Vaisakhi was only celebrated as a harvest festival primarily in Punjab and Northern India. However, Vaisakhi is now the most important day for Sikhs, as it marks the establishment of the birth of the Khalsa by the 10th Sikh Guru — Guru Gobind Singh Ji — in 1699. Although April has already passed, I’d like to reflect on the significance of this event to not only the Sikh community, but Surrey itself.
“Nagar Kirtan” means the chanting and “singing of Shabads (divine hymns)” from the Sikh Sangat — the congregation — throughout a neighbourhood, town, or suburb. The significance of this parade is to bring ourselves closer to Waheguru (God) by doing Seva (selfless service) through volunteering at stalls and connecting with the community, as well as reciting Gurbani, which refers to the various compositions by the Sikh Gurus.
The parade started at the Gurdwara Dasmesh Darbar, located in Surrey. It began with a moment of solidarity with Indigenous communities, as they led a welcome song as a sign of respect for the land being used, the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo First Nations. The Nagar Kirtan started when the Panj Pyare (the five beloved ones) walked before the main float of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which are the holy scriptures considered so significant to Sikhs that they are respected as the 11th living Guru.
“My favourite thing about this parade is how most of the Lower Mainland will join in on the festivities alongside us, showing great respect and interest in our cultural and religious traditions.”
Traditionally, when the Nagar Kirtan route is completed, the parade concludes as soon as the Guru Granth Sahib Ji returns to the Gurdwara. As this is happening, the Ardas (concluding prayer) will begin playing on the loudspeakers and all of the Sadh Sangat — company of the Holy — will stand up with their hands joined together and heads covered.
At this year’s parade, I saw a variety of colours in the cultural attire many of us prefer to wear, mostly navy blue and orange, which are known as the colours of Sikhi. From each corner, I could hear the sweet sounds of Kirtan, performed by local Sikh students and on the loudspeaker, as well as Katha — which is verbal preaching of the Gurbani and the historical stories of our background. The Sikh Nagar Kirtan encourages people of all races, religions, and cultural backgrounds to partake in the festivities by enjoying the free food and visiting the stalls of many organizations and performances. This is because Sikhs view all within the community as equal and the imposing of beliefs on others is prohibited. The only expectation is for participants to dress modestly and try to keep their head covered, as a way of showing respect for the holy celebration.
From childhood, I have very fond memories of checking out the various stalls in the parade with my family. Each time, I would leave with a balloon in my hand and a smile on my face. The Nagar Kirtan holds deep significance to my family. We tend to arrive early and set up our stall outside of our family business, and also spend months in advance collecting chips and juice boxes to distribute to all the attendees.
My favourite thing about this parade is how most of the Lower Mainland will join in on the festivities alongside us, showing great respect and interest in our cultural and religious traditions. Especially in the past few years, I have seen many of my non-Sikh friends cover their heads with a Rumāl (a Sikh head covering that is a piece of cloth, similar to a bandana), enjoying the free food, and watching talent being displayed from our religion through Gatka (ancient form of martial arts) performances and Pagg (turban) tying stalls. This type of unity is very beautiful to see. Every participant I see has a smile on their face while partaking in one of our most crucial celebrations, even including other cultures to share their traditions with us as well. I hope that after reading this, readers will mark their calendars for the next annual Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan.
