The Sikh community’s most significant holiday is Guru Nanak Jayanti. Every year, on the day of the full moon in the month of Kartik, it is commemorated. Guru Nanak Prakash Parv is another name for this day. Since Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism, the day is observed with tremendous vigor and excitement.

One of the most important holidays observed in November is Guru Nanak Jayanti, also called Guru Purab. In Kartik maas, the festivities on this day begin three days before the full moon. Three days before Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Akhand Path, a continuous recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, starts and lasts till the last day.

As Prabhat Pheri, a sacred ritual, is performed early in the morning from the temple, the Guru Granth Sahib is exquisitely decorated with flowers and embroidered sheets of fabric.

What Prabhat Pheri Means

Prabhat Pheri refers to a group of persons who recite shabads while making early morning rounds across the community. People from the villages used to wake up early, before the sun came up, and travel about the hamlet, reciting and singing shabads. They performed ethnic instruments as well. It is said that by invoking the good spirits and chasing away the bad spirits of the night, this ceremony would further welcome the morning with positive energy.

In the past, it would occur all throughout the nation. A Prabhat Pheri is also held to kick off the festivities on Guru Nanak Jayanti. This custom is primarily related to Punjab’s traditional celebrations. They were first common on Guru Nanak Devji’s Gurpurab and continued to exist throughout the British era.

The Ghatka squad is the highlight of this parade. It is a group of individuals with a focus on martial arts. This group uses swords and shields to do feats. Sweets are given out as a kind of prasad as part of this custom.

Guru Nanak Jayanti will be observed on November 15 this year. This year also commemorates Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 555th birthday.