Organizers estimate more than half a million attend Surrey's Vaisakhi parade

CBC20-04-2025

More than half a million people gathered in Surrey on Saturday for one of the world's largest Vaisakhi parades. As Michelle Gomez reports, organizers say this year's turnout may be the largest yet.

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Yellowknife's Sikh community turned a gym into space for prayer to celebrate Vaisakhi

CBC

19-05-2025

Yellowknife's Sikh community turned a gym into space for prayer to celebrate Vaisakhi

Members of Yellowknife's growing Sikh community gathered to celebrate Vaisakhi this weekend, transforming a gym at the city's multiplex sports facility into a space for prayer on Saturday. The annual harvest festival of Vaisakhi is one of the holiest days in the Sikh calendar. For Sikhs, the festival marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the faith its final form. But it's also an opportunity to come together, with large events acting as opportunities for people from different communities to meet and celebrate. Also called Khalsa Sajna diwas, the holiday is usually celebrated in mid-April, but Yellowknife's celebration is a bit later because of the time it took to find a space and get everything ready. "We are a bit late, but at last we are celebrating so we are happy for that," said Mangot Kaur, who helped organize the event. Kaur said it was a lot of work getting the gym ready for the event, but many volunteers helped. "They all came together and worked really hard to make this place look like this," she said. There were prayers in the gym in the afternoon and evening, with some of the prayers read by gurus who flew in from Vancouver to lead hymns. There was also a food drive outside, with volunteers serving homemade vegetarian food free to anyone who passed by, another important tradition on Vaisakhi. "These events are really important for us so we can get together, united, and celebrate our values," said attendee Darwinder Kaur, (No relation) who moved from B.C. to Yellowknife a year and a half ago. She said it was hard to adjust to her new home at first, but events like this where she can observe her religion in community make it easier. Yellowknife's Sikh population has grown a lot in the last few years, says Pankaj Sohi Seth, and events like this help the community come together. "We moved in 2012 to Yellowknife from Vancouver, and it was a big change to us. In the beginning, we actually started doing prayers in our own houses," she said, with the few Sikh families hosting in turn. But a few years ago, they started renting a hall from a church or other space once a year. They now try and hold celebrations like Saturday's two or three times a year, Sohi Seth said. But without a permanent Gurdwara, the community isn't able to come together and pray as much as they would like. Sohi Seth said she and others are working to bring a Gurdwara, or temple, to Yellowknife, but the the project is still in the early stages. They are currently in the process of registering a Yellowknife Sikh Sangat society as a non-profit. Once this is done, she said, they will begin the work of fundraising for a Gurdawara. Darwinder Kaur said for her, a Gurdwara in Yellowknife would be more than just a building. "It's not about going somewhere out, it's about inner peace, to give something to my soul."

Spring comes later in the north — and so do Vaisakhi celebrations, with thousands gathering in Prince George

CBC

17-05-2025

Spring comes later in the north — and so do Vaisakhi celebrations, with thousands gathering in Prince George

Thousands of samosas, more than 400 pounds of potatoes and weeks of preparation: those are just a few of the ingredients that go into planning northern B.C.'s largest Vaisakhi celebration. The annual festival marking the spring harvest is generally held in April. But in Prince George, where it takes a little longer for the weather to warm up, the event is held in May to avoid snow on the roads during the morning procession, and to avoid competing with larger events held in Surrey and Vancouver, which many local residents also attend. But over the years, the Prince George event has grown into its own, attracting people from all across the region looking to connect with the Sikh community. "It's a beautiful, colourful, spiritual experience," said Rashpal Bains of the Guru Nanak Darbar Society, who says they are expecting up to 5,000 attendees with RSVPs from people as far away as Vancouver, Prince Rupert and the Peace River regions. "We are inviting the whole of B.C." For Sikhs, Vaisakhi marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the faith its final form. But it's also an opportunity to come together, with large events acting as opportunities for people from different communities to meet and celebrate. Prince George's Sikh community dates back decades, with some early members coming to the region more than a century ago. It grew to new levels in the 1960s and 70s when an influx of new immigrants from the Punjab region arrived in Canada, with many taking jobs in the region's burgeoning lumber industry. The Guru Gobind Singh Temple Society was established in 1974, and the city's first gurdwara opened on Christmas Day in 1978, with ground being broken on a second in 2002. Approximately 2,500 people in Prince George reported their religion as Sikh in the 2021 census, making it the largest non-Christian religion in the city of about 77,000. But Bains says participation in the celebration is not limited, and this year it was actually city officials who took the lead on planning for the event, months before she was involved. Other community groups, including the RCMP, will be taking part, and aside from food, there will be music, dancers and a martial arts display. "I'm so proud this event isn't about only the Sikh community," Bains said. "This event has become a part of Prince George." A procession through the city is scheduled to begin from Guru Nanak Darbar at 10 a.m., travelling down Ospika Boulevard and ending at the CN Centre/Exhibition Park site around noon, where celebrations will last until at least 2 p.m.

CBC

20-04-2025