When is Guru Nanak's Birthday?
The Birthday of Guru Nanak Sahib falls on Kartik Puranmashi, the full moon day of the month Kartik, which usually falls in November in the Western calendar.
This holiday is one of the most significant festivals of the Sikh community and commemorates Guru Nanak Sahib who was the founder of Sikhism and the first Sikh Guru.
In India, this day may also be called Guru Nanak Gurpurb, Guru Nanak's Prakash Utsav or Guru Nanak Dev Hi Jayanti. It is a gazetted holiday in many states and Indian stocks, bonds and currency markets are closed.
Who was Guru Nanak?
Guru Nanak was born on April 15th 1469 at Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present district of Shekhupura (Pakistan), now Nanakana Sahib.
Nanak's religious ideas developed from both Hindu and Islamic thought, but are more than a simple synthesis. Nanak was an original spiritual thinker and he expressed his thoughts and ideas in poetry that forms the basis of Sikh scripture.
Little is known about the life of Nanak, but it is accepted that Nanak was born approx. 40 miles from Lahore in modern-day Pakistan) in 1469.
Sikh traditions teach that his birth and early years were marked with many events that demonstrated that God had marked him out for something special and was keeping an eye on him.
The celebration of the guru’s birth anniversary begins two days prior to the actual date. On the first day of the celebrations, Sikhs read the Sikh holy book - the Guru Granth Sahib - from beginning to end.
As is the tradition on the second day, the holy book is paraded through the streets of Amritsar in a hand-held carriage. The procession is led by five people representing the original Panj Pyare ("the Five Beloved Ones") who helped shape the religion.
On the day, to commemorate his birth, followers begin Gurupurav with 'Prabhat Pheri', an early morning procession. Throughout the day, devotees chant and sing hymns. A special prayer known as ‘Rehrasi’ is organised at sunset. According to Sikh tradition, it is believed that Nanak was born at around 1:20 am. Therefore, evening prayers continue till then, as worshippers sing 'Gurbani' (hymns from Guru Granth Sahib) in his praise. The festival draws to a close at about 2:00 am.
This is one of the main sacred festivals in Sikh community and Sikhs celebrate Gurupurav all over India, and notably at the Shrine (Gurdwara) representing the home of Baba Kalu (Father) and Mata Tripta (Mother) called Gurdwara Janam Asthan, situated at Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi in the present district of Shekhupura (now Nanakana Sahib in Pakistan). Sikhs from all over the world gather here and celebrate the Gurupurav every year with great devotion and enthusiasm.
Pakistan
On May 28th 2014, the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution tabled by MPA Ramesh Singh Arora to declare the birthday of Baba Guru Nanak a public holiday in Pakistan from 2014 onwards. This resolution has not become enacted, so there is no public holiday in Pakistan.
