Festivals of Punjab are said to be very spiritual and lively. They are largely farmers thus land and nature are indispensable elements of their lives. From Basant Panchami, marking the arrival of springs to Punjabi Teej that celebrates womanhood and monsoons. Punjabis truly rejoice in the transitions of nature. Punjabi festivals like Bhai Dooj celebrate familial relations whereas Chappar Mela and Jor Mela express the spirit of communal harmony and togetherness.
Baisakhi
Baisakhi or Vaisakhi, the harvest festival, is celebrated with great enthusiasm to mark the beginning of the new spring and is celebrated in most of India as the new year by Hindus. It signifies the end of the harvest season in India, marking a time of prosperity for the farmers. Also called Vaisakhi, it is a festival of tremendous joy and celebration. Baisakhi is especially significant to Punjab and Haryana, because of the large Sikh population who celebrate this festival with a lot of energy and vigour. The festival of Baisakhi falls on the first day of Vaisakh month (April-May), according to the Sikh Calendar. For this reason, Baisakhi is also referred to as Vaisakhi. Baisakhi also marks the Punjabi New Year. According to the English calendar, the date of Baisakhi corresponds to April 13 every year and April 14 once every 36 years. This variation is due to the festival being observed as per the Indian solar calendar.
Hola Mohala
Hola Mohalla is a famous and colourful 3-day Sikh festival celebrated during spring. It takes place on the second day of the lunar month of Chett which is the first month of the Nanakshahi calendar used by Sikhs. This procession takes place in Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur, the Rupnagar district of Punjab, which is one of the 5 Sikh takhts holding special historical significance. It is home to the birth of Khalsa Panth and has real artefacts from those days.While Hola means the charge of an army, Mohalla means an organised procession. Initiated by the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Hola Mohalla is the gathering of Sikhs to exhibit their martial arts, swordsmanship and horse-riding skills, the expertise of which was with Guru Gobind Singh Ji himself, for he was known to be a great fighter and leader of the Sikhs against Aurangzeb and the Mughals dynasty. He also fought against the Hill Rajputs, protecting the poor and helpless. It was he who felt that Holi had lost its meaning of brotherhood and coming together in the community, so he started the festival of Hola Mohalla, making it a similar celebration, but honouring the Khalsa custom.
Hola Mohalla has, thus, been known to mean fun and a jubilant procession of people, with people playing Gatka, a form of martial arts, enjoying the plethora of food which is served at various food stalls, and listening to soothing hymns, reciting the name of God.It usually falls on the second day of the lunar month of Chett, which is the first month of the Nanakshahi calendar used by Sikhs. Hola Mohalla is celebrated a day after the Hindu festival of Holi, but at times it takes place on the same day as Holi.
Lohri
Lohri- Celebration of Lohri marks the end of the winter season. Being one of the most famous festival of Punjab, Lohri celebrated with the beating of Dhol, Nagadas, and singing of traditional Lohri songs. Children visit the neighbourhood asking for treats. The festival is full of life, and you can't afford to miss the North Indian's Lohri. Special celebrations take place in the houses of newborns and newlyweds.
Basant Panchami
As suggested, this festival marks the beginning of Basant or spring season. It is celebrated forty days before the actual arrival of spring as it is believed that it takes at least forty days for seasons to transit and reach their full bloom. Another impressionable element of Basant Panchami is the importance of ‘Yellow’ as a colour. In Punjab, farmers who have sown mustard seeds in their farms. As spring approaches, these fields turn into a beautiful yard of million yellow blooming flowers. People wear yellow and Namdhari Sikhs distribute langars at gurudwaras to show gratitude to the Supreme, sharing their harvest with others. Not confined to any religious identity, Punjabi Muslims celebrate Basant Panchami with great gusto too, flying kites from their rooftops. Spring surely personifies the spirit of Punjabis.
