Baisakhi marks the beginning of New Year, particularly in the northern part of India. It is among the few Indian festivals that have a fixed date. Baisakhi is always on April 13th.

It is on this day that Sun enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies ushering of the New Year in Hindu calender.

In Kerala, Baisakhi is called as “Vishu” and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as “Puthandu”.

Considered a holy day, the devout celebrate the Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just around the break of dawn. Later it involves a lot of social gathering where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served.

In Northern India, farmers perform their own prayers and give ‘thanks’ to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. On this day, they commence reaping their harvest. The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty.

For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.  The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’ (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. Dressed in their typical folk attire, both men and women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda.

The above two are the main reasons for celebrating Baisakhi.

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