India is the country where some of the greatest religions of world have originated and Sikhism is one of them. Sikhism is the religion, a life style , a concept , an ideology and much more. It is  generally associated with the life and teachings of their Gurus. Guru Nanak Dev; the first Guru of Sikhism and Guru Gobind Singh; the tenth Guru and founder of the Khalsa are the most revered figures of the Sikh religion. Guru Gobind Singh was the last Human Guru of the Sikh and declared the Guru Granth Sahib - the holy scripture of Sikhism, as the permanent Sikh Guru. The festivals of Sikh are generally associated with the life and teachings of their Gurus. Though, some of the Sikh festivals are also dedicated to different seasons like Lohri and Baishaki. Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Guru Purnima, Guru Ravidas Jayanti, Guru Tegh Bahadur's Birthday, Gurupurab, Holla Mohalla are some of the important festivals of the Sikh.

All the festivals of Sikh are celebrated with unabated joy and enthusiasm. Sikhism also celebrates some of the major festivals that Hindus celebrated - such as Diwali, though the reasons behind the celebration are different. The Sikhs celebrate Diwali to express the joy at the return of the sixth Guru to Amritsar in 1620, after his release from Gwalior Jail. (Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned him because he was afraid of the Guru's growing power and popularity with masses. The Sikhs on this day, which generally falls in November, hold a one-day celebration in the Gurdwara. Diwali means festival of lights. So in the evening, illuminations are done with Diwas (oil lamps made of clay) or candles and fire works held both in the Gurdwaras and in homes and businesses of the Sikhs.

 

In Sikhism, all worship is directed to the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. Originally compiled by the first guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, the book was later edited by Guru Arjan, the fifth guru. It was brought to its final form by the last of the Sikh gurus, Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru Granth takes the place of a deity, and is revered as a god. People circumambulate it and bow down before it. At the time of Sikh festivals, public processions, in which Guru Granth Sahib is taken out on a palanquin, are undertaken.

Sikhs observe the birthdays of all their 10 gurus with much fanfare. However, it is the birthdays of the first and the last gurus, Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, where the celebrations take the form of major festivals. The other day that Sikhs hold in reverence is Baisakhi, or the day when Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa sect, in the year 1699. With bhakti being central to the religion, Sikhism employs a lot of music and song in its attempt to gain union with God. Its festivals are marked by the singing of gurbani, or holy songs, and readings from the holy book.

The great strength of the Sikhs lies in their sense of brotherhood and community. It plays a part in their daily life, and particularly during their festivals, when temple-worship, reading the holy book and communal mingling take precedence over public celebrations. When it comes to exploring the feelings of Sikhs during festivals, we get, on one side, their intensely moving religious songs - gurbanis, and on the other, their hearty dances and rhythmic and infectious music. The Sikhs are robust and hearty people, and this reflects in the way celebrate their festivals.