A Sikh community tradition, thousands strong celebrated Vaisakhi Day or Vaisakhi – a religious and colorful festival filled with music, prayer, food, demonstrations, exhibits and a parade – at the ShoWare Center on a cool and cloudy Saturday.
Millions of Sikhs worldwide celebrate Vaisakhi Day each spring, marking the new year for the community. It is considered one of the most important festivals on the Sikh calendar.
Vaisakhi is historically the festival of spring harvest in Punjab, India.
Washington has about 50,000 Sikhs residing in Kent and Renton.
The day culminated with the Nagar Kirtan, the parade, in which thousands of people proceeded through the streets of Kent, singing hymns from a sacred book of worship known as Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikhs’ most ultimate holy scripture.
The parade included supporters of Sikh Referendum 2020, a national campaign to liberate India-occupied Punjab. The campaign aims to bring the Sikh nation on a common platform to present the case to the United Nations for Punjab’s independence.
The festival also recognized individuals and organizations for their support of the Sikh community.
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