“It's my New Year”

I am a Sikh and it's my New Year today. It's called Vaisakhi/ Baisakhi.

Vaisakhi is a major festival celebrated in India, particularly in the northern state of Punjab, as well as by the Sikh community all around the world. It falls on April 13th or 14th every year and marks the start of the harvest season and the solar new year.

For the Sikhs, Vaisakhi holds special significance as it was on this day in 1699 that their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established the Khalsa Panth, a community of Sikhs who have undergone a special initiation ceremony and abide by a strict code of conduct. This event is also known as the creation of Khalsa, and it involved the guru baptizing five volunteers and giving them the surname Singh, which means lion.

On Vaisakhi, Sikhs visit gurdwaras (Sikh temples), [which I will Do this Year in Bangkok, Thailand] take part in processions, sing hymns, and offer prayers. They also perform Bhangra and Gidda dances and prepare and share traditional food like sarson da saag (a mustard green curry) and makki di roti (a cornbread).

Similarly, during the same period, many other cultures celebrate other occasions among which are as follows.?

Puthandu is the Tamil New Year, celebrated in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and by the Tamil community around the world. It is also known as Varusha Pirappu or Chithirai Thirunal, and falls on the first day of the Tamil month of Chithirai, usually on April 14th or 15th.

Sinhalese New Year: April 14th marks the beginning of the Sinhalese New Year in Sri Lanka, which the Sinhalese people, the largest ethnic group in the country, celebrate. The festival usually lasts several days and is a time for family gatherings, traditional games, and cultural activities.

Bengali New Year: April 14th is also celebrated as "Pohela Boishakh" or Bengali New Year in Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. The festival marks the beginning of the Bengali calendar and is celebrated with cultural programs, music, and traditional food.

Songkran: Songkran is the traditional New Year's Day in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, usually on April 13th-15th. The festival is celebrated with water splashing, symbolic cleaning, and paying respect to elders and religious figures. This year I am doing the Songkran in Bangkok Thailand.

Nepali New Year: The Nepali New Year, also known as "Baisakhi" or "Nava Varsha," is celebrated on April 14th by the Nepali community in Nepal and India. The festival is marked by religious rituals, cultural events, and family gatherings.

All this celebration is not just a religious festival but also an occasion for community bonding and social gatherings. It symbolizes the spirit of unity, courage, and sacrifice, and reminds people of their duty toward their community and society as a whole.

ASIA is once again in the “Celebration Mode”. Stay safe and have fun.

#celebrations #newyearcelebration #Unity #Asia #Festivals #Flexsys

Tagging: Sandip Tyagi Heather Graham Raymundo Garza Robert Prisbrey Judy Liu Svenja Schuto Joshua Elliott Sudershan Sivasubramaniam Raja Mohd Azmir Raja Yahya Siti Noor Fahimah Binti Jusoh, ChM Iza NoorAzlan Ibrahim Mohd Nawayi Che Mat Jocelyn Suet May Cheong Palani Muthu