Baisakhi, Vaisakhi or Vishu Celebrations of Harvest 2011

Baisakhi or Vaisakhi or Vaishakha or Vishu  is an important harvest festival in Punjab, and some other North Indian regions. It is the biggest festival for Sikh community as it marks the beginning of Sikh New Year as per the Solar Nanakshahi calendar. Baisakhi 2011 date is April 14. It also marks the Hindu solar New Year in Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Nepal.

Baisakhi festival 1

Mesha Sankranti marks the beginning of New Solar Year. Sun transits into Mesha rashi (Aries) from Meena rashi (Pisces) to mark the new solar cycle.

In Jwalamukhi Temple, Himachal Pradesh, thousands of devotees offer prayers to the Goddess on Baisakhi day. Ganga Punya snan (holy dip in Ganga River) is also performed on this day.

Generally, on the same day of Baisakhi festival, Kerala New Year Vishu, Tamil New Year Puthandu, Bengali New Year (Pohela Baisakh), and Assamese New Year (Rongali Bihu), and Vaishakha festival in Bihar are also celebrated.

Baisakhi Festival 2

The real celebrations are in the villages of Punjab when the crop is harvested. In Anandpur Sahib (the birth place of Khalsa) Baisakhi meals are organized in large numbers. In the cities people visit gurudwaras with the family. Not only Sikhs, but people of other communities also visit the gurudwaras with their families and friends to take a holy dip and savour the langar and kadah prashad.

On this day the gurudwaras are illuminated and there is a 48-hour akhand path and bhog. The day is usually marked with kirtan, kadah prashad and langar. Womenfolk prefer to dress up in white suit with orange dupatta on this day while going to the gurudwara.

For Sikhs it holds special significance, as on this very day their 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh, organised the order of Khalsa and gave a new impetus to the teachings of the earlier nine gurus. As this is an auspicious day many people go for baptism in gurudwaras all over India. As far as the tradition is concerned it varies from family to family. There is a path and bhog followed by kadah prashad and langar.

Legends of Baisakhi - After the dealth of Guru Teg Bahadur, his son, Guru Gobind Singh became the next Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh wished to instill courage and strength to sacrifice among his fellow men. To fulfill his dream, Guru Gobing Singh called on the historic Baisakhi Day congregation of Sikhs at Keshgarh Sahib near Anandpur on March 30, 1699.

Vishu Festival in Kerala

Vishu, Vishukkani kerala

Vishu festival showcases the strict observance of Hindu customs and unlike Onam, the regional festival, Vishu stands apart from other communities than Hindu, in spite of certain media hypes as a secular festivity. The significant part of Vishu festival is ‘vishukani’ which is nothing but the glorious darshan (perceiving) of Lord Sri Krishna, ornamented with the ritualistic arrangements of certain auspicious things worth to be a talisman for a prosperous New Year ahead.

Vishukkani is not reserved only for those who come to the pooja room, but is taken around—for the viewing of the elderly and the sick who are perhaps too weak to come over there. It is also brought outside and shown to the family cows. As it is brought to the cowshed, it in fact is on display for the birds, the trees, for all of the nature to see and bow.