Vaisakhi

In 2026 the Sikh New Year festival Vaisakhi takes place on the 14th April. The festival is an annual event that takes place on the 13th or 14th April each year.

Preparing for Vaisakhi is an exciting time full of colour and community. Children help make bright decorations and even create their own sparkly flags to wave during the celebrations. At the gurdwara, everyone shows respect by removing their shoes, covering their heads and bowing to the Guru Granth Sahib, which is read continuously in the days before Vaisakhi. Families help cook and share food for all the visitors, and the streets begin to fill with decorations ready for the big parade. 

Celebrating Vaisakhi is a joyful day filled with special clothes, music and dancing. Families get ready together, tying turbans, putting on batkas and wearing the five Ks, which are important symbols in Sikhism. At the gurdwara, everyone gathers to enjoy delicious food and join the huge crowds taking part in the festivities. The procession is led by the Panj Pyare, the five beloved ones, and the streets become full of colour and celebration. With dancing, decorations and so many people coming together, Vaisakhi is a wonderful time to celebrate Sikh history and community.

In the year 1699 Guru Gobind Singh called together thousands and thousands of Sikhs to celebrate the harvest festival of Vaisakhi.

The guru came out of his tent, carrying a sword, and announced that anyone prepared to give up his life should come forward.

The crowd gasped. What was he going to do?

Everyone became quiet.

Slowly, one man made his way through the crowd and Guru Gobind Singh took him into the tent.

After a while, the guru came out, all alone, still holding his sword. But where had the other man gone?

Everyone wondered what had happened inside.

Guru Gobind Singh asked for more people to step forward, people ready to give up their lives. And one by one, he took four more men inside the tent, each time returning without them.

Everyone watching was very worried. What was the guru doing?

But Guru Gobind Singh opened the flap to his tent and revealed all five men, happy and healthy.

This was a test, the guru explained, to see who was brave enough and willing to dedicate themselves to God, to defend their faith, and to care for the poor.

The guru then took a bowl of sweetened water called amrit.

He stirred it with a small sword, said some prayers, and gave it to the five men to drink. He sprinkled what was left of it on their heads and eyes. The five men became known as the Panj Pyare, or the beloved five.

From that point onwards, to show that they were all part of one big family, all Sikh men were given the same surname, Singh, meaning lion, and all the women were given the name Kaur, meaning princess.

If you'd like to test your knowledge about Vaisakhi, try this quiz from My First Festivals: How much do you know about Vaisakhi?