` Festo Fest - The new era to know about your Culture and Dharma

All News

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

मकर संक्रांति से एक दिन पहले लोहड़ी का त्योहार उत्तर भारत में, खासकर पंजाब में मनाया जाता है।

pकिसी न किसी नाम से मकर संक्रांति के दिन या उसके आसपास, भारत के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में कोई न कोई त्योहार मनाया जाता है।/p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

Vaisakhi: The Harvest Festival and Birth of Khalsa

pDescription: Discover Vaisakhi, the vibrant festival celebrating spring harvest and the birth of Khalsa. Learn about Sikh history, traditions, celebrations, and significance worldwide./p Introduction: When Harvest Met Revolution pPicture this: April 13, 1699. A massive fair in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. Thousands gathered for the spring harvest festival—a time of celebration, gratitude, and new beginnings./p pThen Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, emerged from his tent holding an unsheathed sword and made a demand that sent shockwaves through the crowd:/p p"I need a head. Who will give me their head?"/p pSilence. Confusion. Fear. This was supposed to be a celebration. What was happening?/p pOne man stood up. Daya Ram. "My head is yours, Guru ji."/p pThe Guru took him inside the tent. The crowd heard the sound of a sword striking. The Guru emerged, sword dripping with blood, and asked again: "I need another head."/p pFour more men volunteered, one by one. Four more trips to the tent. Four more sounds of the blade./p pThen something extraordinary happened. The Guru brought all five men out—alive, dressed in saffron robes, transformed. These became the Panj Piare (Five Beloved Ones), the first members of the Khalsa—a new order that would revolutionize Sikhism and Punjabi society forever./p pThis is why Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is unlike any other festival. It celebrates both harvest and revolution. Both gratitude for nature's abundance and commemoration of a moment when spiritual conviction demanded transformation. Both ancient agricultural rhythms and a defining historical turning point./p pFor Sikhs worldwide, Vaisakhi is the most important festival after Gurpurab (Guru Nanak's birthday). For Punjabis of all backgrounds, it marks the spring harvest—the fruits of months of hard work. For the Indian calendar, it's New Year in several traditions./p pWhether you're Sikh, Punjabi, or simply curious about festivals that blend agriculture, spirituality, and revolutionary history into one vibrant celebration, understanding Vaisakhi opens a window into how communities mark the cycles of nature and the turning points of history./p pReady to understand why Vaisakhi matters so deeply? Let's explore./p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

गुरुपर्व पूरी दुनिया में कार्तिक मास की शुक्ल पक्ष की पूर्णिमा तिथि पर सिख धर्म में मनाया जाता है।

pगुरुपर्व सिखों का बड़े पैमाने पर कार्यक्रम आदि आयोजित किया जाता है।/p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

Hola Mohalla: The Sikh Festival of Martial Arts and Valor

pWhile most of India celebrates Holi with colored powders and water balloons, a different kind of celebration unfolds in the town of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. Here, instead of gentle revelry, you'll witness something far more dramatic—warriors in blue and orange displaying breathtaking martial arts skills, mock battles with traditional weapons, daring horseback riding feats, and demonstrations of strength and courage that would seem at home in an action film. This is Hola Mohalla, Sikhism's festival of martial spirit and valor, and it represents one of the most unique and spectacular celebrations in the Indian religious calendar./p pThe festival, falling in March on the day after Holi, transforms the small Punjabi town into a gathering place for hundreds of thousands of Sikhs and visitors from around the world. It's a celebration that honors the warrior-saint ideal at the heart of Sikh identity, a reminder that spiritual devotion and martial readiness are not contradictions but complementary aspects of the Sikh path./p The Tenth Guru's Vision pTo understand Hola Mohalla, you must first understand the man who created it—Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final living Guru of the Sikhs. Born in 1666, Guru Gobind Singh inherited the guruship at age nine after his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam and defending the right of Hindus to practice their religion freely./p pThis traumatic beginning shaped Guru Gobind Singh's vision for the Sikh community. He believed that in times of oppression and injustice, spiritual devotion alone wasn't enough—Sikhs needed to be prepared to defend themselves and others, to be saint-soldiers capable of both meditation and martial prowess. This philosophy, known as Miri-Piri (temporal and spiritual power), became central to Sikh identity./p pIn 1699, Guru Gobind Singh took the revolutionary step of creating the Khalsa—a baptized order of Sikhs committed to maintaining the faith and defending the oppressed. The initiation ceremony, first performed on Vaisakhi (another major Sikh festival), established the Five K's—Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (wooden comb), Kara (iron bracelet), Kachera (cotton undergarments), and Kirpan (sword)—as articles of faith that initiated Sikhs would maintain./p pBut creating a warrior community required more than symbols. It required training, discipline, and a culture that valued martial skills alongside spiritual devotion. This is where Hola Mohalla enters the picture./p The First Hola Mohalla: 1701 pIn 1701, Guru Gobind Singh initiated the first Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib, the "City of Bliss" he had established as a center of Sikh power and learning in the Shivalik Hills of Punjab. The timing was deliberate—while Hindus celebrated Holi with its themes of divine love and the triumph of good over evil, Sikhs would use the next day to demonstrate military preparedness and martial valor./p pThe name itself is significant. "Hola" derives from "halla" (military charge), while "Mohalla" can mean organized procession or attack. Together, they suggest organized military exercises—a far cry from Holi's playful atmosphere. Some scholars also see wordplay in the name, with "Hola Mohalla" being a masculine, martial counterpoint to the more feminine, playful "Holi."/p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

सिख धर्म में गुरु नानक जयंती एक बड़ा त्योहार है। इसे गुरु पर्व भी कहा जाता है।

pहिंदू धर्म में दिवाली की तरह सिख धर्म में भी गुरु नानक जयंती मनाई जाती है। गुरु नानक जयंती को गुरु पर्व, प्रकाश पर्व, गुरु पर्व के नाम से भी जाना जाता है।/p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

Gurpurab Celebrations: How Sikhs Honor Their Gurus Worldwide

pIn the early hours before dawn, the sound of sacred hymns drifts through the air. Golden light illuminates temples adorned with thousands of flowers and flickering candles. Processions wind through streets carrying the holy scripture under ornate canopies, accompanied by singing, drumming, and the martial display of traditional warriors. In community kitchens, volunteers prepare meals for thousands, ensuring no one goes hungry regardless of religion, caste, or social status. This is Gurpurab—the Sikh way of celebrating the birth or martyrdom anniversaries of their Gurus./p pThe word "Gurpurab" or "Gurupurab" combines "Guru" (teacher or enlightener) and "purab" (day or occasion), literally meaning "the Guru's day." While Sikhs observe multiple Gurpurabs throughout the year, these celebrations represent far more than birthdays or death anniversaries. They're occasions for spiritual renewal, community gathering, charitable service, and the reaffirmation of values that define Sikh identity—equality, service, devotion, and remembrance of the Gurus who shaped their faith./p Understanding Gurpurabs: More Than Festivals pSikhism emerged in 15th-century Punjab under Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who rejected the caste system, ritualism, and religious hypocrisy of his time. Over the next two centuries, nine successive Gurus developed and institutionalized the faith, each contributing unique teachings and facing distinct challenges. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, declared that after him, the Guru would be the Granth (the holy scripture, now known as Guru Granth Sahib) and the Panth (the collective Sikh community)./p pGurpurabs commemorate pivotal moments in these Gurus' lives—their births, their martyrdoms, their significant spiritual or historical contributions. Unlike many religious festivals that celebrate mythological events or seasonal changes, Gurpurabs honor historical figures whose lives, teachings, and sacrifices are documented and whose impact on Sikh identity remains profound./p pThe celebration of Gurpurabs serves multiple purposes: it keeps the Gurus' teachings alive in contemporary practice, it transmits history and values to younger generations, it strengthens community bonds, it provides opportunities for service (seva) and devotion, and it makes visible the Sikh presence and values in multicultural societies./p The Major Gurpurabs pWhile Sikhs observe Gurpurabs for all ten Gurus and other significant figures, several stand out in their importance and scale of celebration./p pGuru Nanak Jayanti (Guru Nanak's birth anniversary), also known as Prakash Utsav, typically falls in November and is the most widely celebrated Gurpurab. As the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak holds special significance. The festival coincides with the full moon (Pooranmashi) of the lunar month of Kartik and happens to fall on the same day as the Hindu festival of Kartik Pooranmashi, creating a shared festive atmosphere in regions where both communities coexist./p p /p

Sikh
17 Apr 2021

देश में बैसाखी का त्यौहार हर साल 14 अप्रैल को धूम-धाम से मनाया जाता है।

pबैसाखी का त्यौहार सुख-समृद्धि और धार्मिक मान्यताओं और सांस्कृतिक परम्पराओं से जुड़ी हुई हैं।/p