Being one of the most celebrated festivals in India, Gurupurab marks the birth of Guru Nanak. This blog is all about its history as well as its significance.

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Guru Nanak hails as the first of the ten Sikh gurus and the founder of Sikhism. To celebrate his birth on Earth, we celebrate the spiritual Guru Nanak Jayanti. The celebration of Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab usually takes place on a full moon day in the divine month of Kartik.

A Brief History Of Guru Nanak Jayanti

Undeniably, one of the most critical days for the Sikh community, Gurpurab celebrations take place for three days. The name emerges from “Gur” indicating Guru or master and “Purab” which means day in Hindi. Hence, it is a day dedicated to our Gurus. Sikhs worship other Gurus as well along with the founder of the religion, Guru Nanak.

In 2022, the festival falls on November 8. In the writings of Bhai Gurdas, the mention of Gurpurab is seen five times. However, Bhai Gurdas was the fifth guru of the Sikhs and his actual name was Guru Arjan Dev Ji. An important ritual encompassing this festival includes reading the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib.

Celebrations And Festivities On The Day Of Gurpurab

This three-day celebration begins two days before the actual birthday with the performance of Akhand Path in Gurudwaras. Further, it includes reading the Guru Granth Sahib continuously without any break for 48 hours. Worshippers take turns to read so to avoid any interruption. A day before the birthday, there is an arrangement of a procession.
A palanquin carries the Guru Granth Sahib which is later carried by the Panj Pyaras or five dear ones. It is a common belief that religion has got its shape due to these people. This is also popular as Nagar Kirtan. Meanwhile, devotees follow these five people who sing hymns with brass bands playing tunes.
The martial art teams or ‘Gatka’ portray their skills in swordsmanship. Furthermore, the percussionists sing the chorus. The procession goes on through the main streets of the city with magnificent decorations all around it.
Worshippers buy the spiritual frame of Guru Nanak Sahib which has a gold-plated normal foil and worship him. The primary intent of the procession is to preach the message of Guru Nanak to a bigger community. As per the divine deity, one must overcome just, greed, anger, pride, and attachment in their life.

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