Gurupurab rituals that make it so special and auspicious
Gurupurab rituals that make it so special and auspicious – One of the most important festivals of the Sikh Community is Gurupurab. Other names of this festival are Guru Nanak Prakash Parv and Guru Nanak Jayanti. This festival is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. This festival is celebrated in the Kartik month on the Guru Purnima. On this day, the Sikhs and even the Hindus offer prayers to the first Guru of the Sikh Community, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Sikhs around the whole world and even the Hindus celebrate this festival.
The festival is celebrated in the months of October or November every year. It is one of the biggest Indian festivals. Keep reading this blog to know more about this festival. We have also included some of the most important teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji as well, so make sure to read the blog till the end.
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Meaning of Guruparab
Gurupurab is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He was the first Guru of the Sikh community. The word Gurupurab is mixed with two words comprising Guru which means the leader and Purab means festival. So, it is the festival of the Guru’s birthday. The Sikh community celebrates Guru every year on the full moon day of Kartik. It is the festival that is celebrated for 3 days straight. There are 10 gurus of the Sikh community and all of them are celebrated on different days. This day is of the first Guru of their community. The four most celebrated ones are the birth of Guru Gobind Guru Nanak and the Martyrdom days of Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Arjan Dev.
Date in 2023
Gurupurab is going to be celebrated on November 27. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Kartik month in the Hindu calendar. This is the reason the dates keep changing. This festival generally falls in October or November, every year. It will be his 554th birthday, this year. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469.
Rituals
There are a lot of rituals that devotees follow on this day. Just like most of the Hindu and Sikh festivals, this one also includes a lot of ethnic traditions to follow. To begin with, the devotees wake up early in the morning and take a holy bath and post that they wear new or clean clothes to visit Gurudwara and pay respects to God. In the Gurudwara, the devotees recite verses from Guru Granth Sahib. If not in Gurudwara, devotees also recite the prayers and read Guru Granth Sahib in their homes as well.
One of the most important rituals of Gurupurab is Nagarkirtan which is basically a massive procession that is held on this day. The procession is led by five men, referred to as the Panj Pyare. This procession includes a palanquin in which the holy book is carried and the devotees follow the palanquin by reciting the religious hymns and prayers. The panj pyare holds the Sikh triangular flag, Nishan Sahib and the palanquin is decorated with flowers and flags.
Amrit Vela is another important ritual of this festival. The celebrations begin at 3 am and end at about 6 am. According to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, morning time is the most auspicious time for praying and hence the devotees choose this time. As per him, if the devotees pray at this time, their soul directly connects with the almighty God. Post this, Katha and Kirtan are the other things to enjoy during the whole day.
The devotees also spend their day meeting their families and close friends. They make sure to eat good food and just enjoy. People also decorate and clean their houses just like they do during Diwali time. Bursting of crackers and exchanging gifts are also other rituals of the day.
The significance of this pure festival
Just like most of the Indian festivals, even this festival has mythological significance. According to the mythology, Guru Nanak was born in 1469 on the Puranmashi of Kattak. It is for this reason only that this festival is celebrated in Kartik Month as per the lunar calendar. During this festival, the beliefs and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji are preached and taught to the disciples and devotees.
About Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the first guru of the Sikh community. He was the nobleman behind the formation of the Sikh religion. He was born on 15 April 1469 at Rai Bhoi Ki Talvandi. People believed that he was an incarnation of God. People believed he was the illuminated Soul of God. Also, he was a man of humanity and mankind and his teachings spread over the entire world.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji got married at the age of 19 and had two sons. However, he did not have an interest in worldly fairs because of this he progressed towards the spiritual journey. He left his home at the age of 30 and put all his attention on God. Later, he started his journey of starting a Sikh community. He got very popular because people started to like his teachings.
Teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
It is very important to know about the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Let us tell you about some of his most important teachings that have helped humanity, right here.
- He preaches ‘naam japo’ which means chanting the name of God. Chanting God’s name can help one to eliminate their negative desires, anger, greed, attachment and ego.
- The first word that he discovered was IK Onkar. This means only one God exists and all Gods of the Universe are the same. This is one of the most important mantras among the Sikh community.
- He taught his devotees not to be selfish and share all they have with the needy. He believed and preached that if someone is fortunate enough to make a difference in someone’s life, then they must not step back.
- The next word that he discovered is Vand Chhako which means “Sharing is loving”. This is the reason why sharing is one of the important teachings of the Sikh community.
- “Kirat Karo” is another principle of Sikhism as per Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He says that one must always be honest and not follow the path of dishonesty for their own advantage.
- He also encouraged his devotees to indulge themselves in Sewa, meaning selfless service.
Celebrations
Cleaning the house, decorating, preparing and eating nice food, going to Gurdwara, having and distributing langar, meeting friends and families, exchanging sweets and gifts, bursting crackers, praying to God, reading Guru Granth Sahib are the major celebrations of the day.
Importance of Langars
Langar is a special auspicious food that is cooked in the Gurudwara and is distributed to everyone. It is a holy food that is prepared with the intention of offering to God first and then distributed to everyone in need. Even on the day of Gurupurab, langar is prepared as Kadha Prasad and offered to the Guru. This is one of the most selfless deeds done by the Sikh community and they have always helped the needy. Devotees also visit the Gurudwara on this day specifically to have langar.
Conclusion
This was the full information about Gurupurab. We tried to cover the most interesting facts about this festival in this blog. It is definitely one of the most lively festivals that India gets to celebrate. Although this festival is for Sikhs, even Hindus celebrate this festival and make sure to visit Gurudwara to pay respects to Guru Nanak Dev Ji on this day. The festival is celebrated worldwide with great enthusiasm, prayers, and traditional rituals. There is a lot to do on this day. We wish you a very happy Guruparab.
Gurupurab rituals that make it so special and auspicious – One of the most important festivals of the Sikh Community is Gurupurab. Other names of this festival are Guru Nanak Prakash Parv and Guru Nanak Jayanti. This festival is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. This festival is celebrated in the Kartik month on…