Sudbury’s Sikh community might have more than 40 years of history in the Nickel City, but it wasn’t until recent years that the city’s first temple opened.
Now, and for the second year in a row, the Sudbury Gurudwara has held Khalsa Day celebrations in Greater Sudbury. On May 19, more than a 1,000 celebrants turned out to celebrate the Sikh New Year and bestow blessings on the community.
A major component of the celebration of the Festival of Vaisakhi is the “Nagar Kirtan”, a ceremonial procession through the community.
As explained by the organizer of the event, Karanbir Badesha, “nagar” means “city” in Punjabi, while “kirtan” means to “sing hymns in blessing”, so through the Nagar Kirtan, faithful Sikhs are blessing their community.
It is also an occasion to share their culture with the wider community, Badesha said.
“Because Canada is a multicultural nation, it is a time to come, join together join and learn about the principles and beliefs of Sikhism,” he said.
The event featured cultural demonstrations by a group of Sikh swordsman, as well as members of the Sikh Motorcycle Club, who travelled from Mississauga for the event.
A key element of the Nagar Kirtan is to display the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is carried on the back of a float. The float is immediately preceeded by the Panj Piare, five baptized Khalsa Sikhs wearing saffron-coloured robes.
This is preceded by the Sewadars, celebrants who pour water on the streets and sweep it clean as part of the ceremonial nature of the event.
Many participants in Khalsa Day have unshod feet during the celebration in deference to the displayed scripture.
Those taking part in the procession were asked to wear a traditional head covering.
The procession left the Gurudwara on Regent Street, moving down to Pine Street, following that to Elm Street, then down to Elgin Street, following that to swing around to Tom Davies Square. Outside city hall, more religious ceremonies were held, along with speeches from dignitaries and more cultural demonstrations.
A traditional part of Khalsa Day is the distribution of food and the Sudbury celebration was no different. As part of the celebrations at Tom Davies Square, the Sikh community provided an abundance of free food for all who came out.
Last year, Badesha said one of the main goals of holding the Khalsa Day event is to share their culture with Greater Sudbury, the place they call home.
"So that the main purpose here is our awareness about Sikhism, about the rituals of Sikhism," said Badesha.
Khalsa Day celebrates the establishment of the Sikh community in 1699, says a post on SikhNet. Canada is home to more than 500,000 people of the Sikh faith.
