Guru Nanak Jayanti is the most important festival of Sikh Community. It is celebrated annually on the full moon day of the month of Kartik. This day is also known as Guru Nanak Prakash Parv. The day is celebrated with great vigour and enthusiasm as Guru Nanak Dev Ji, is the founder of Sikhism and also the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Also known as Guru Purab, Guru Nanak Jayanti is one of the most prominent festivals celebrated in the month of November. The celebrations for this day start three days before the full moon in Kartik maas. Akhand Path, which is a continuous recitation of Guru Granth Sahib, begins three days before and continues till the final day of Guru Nanak Jayanti. Guru Granth Sahib is adorned beautifully with flowers and embroidered sheets of cloth as Prabhat Pheri, which is a holy possession is carried out early morning from the temple.

Significance Of Prabhat PheriPrabhat Pheri means group of people taking early morning rounds around the society as they recite shabads. Long time ago, people from the villages would get up early in the morning, before sunrise, and take rounds of the village chanting and reciting shabads. They also played ethnic instruments. It is believed that this ritual invoked the good spirits, and would chase the evil spirits of the night, further welcoming the morning with good vibrations. It used to happen everywhere across the country. The celebrations on Guru Nanak Jayanti also begin with a Prabhat Pheri. This ritual has more to do with cultural aspect of celebration of festivities in Punjab. Originally, they were prevalent on Guru Nanak Devji’s Gurpurab and extended during the British time.The best part of this procession is the Ghatka team. It is a team of people specialising in martial arts. This team perform stunts with swords and shields. As a part of this ritual, sweets are distributed as a form of prasad.Meanwhile, this year Guru Nanak Jayanti will be celebrated on November 15. The year also marks the 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.