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Annual Sikh Parade serves as platform to share culture

People from across the Lower Mainland visited Squamish to commemorate the martyrdom of the fifth Guru of the Sikhs
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The annual Sikh Parade to commemorate the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, drew festivalgoers from all over the Lower Mainland to downtown Squamish on Saturday. 

Local businesses, in accordance with the Sikh teaching of langar – or free community food –set up food stalls to cater to the festivalgoers. People thronged in long queues to sample from the various dishes served, which included savoury delicacies such as samosa and candied treats including jalebi. 

The event was hosted collectively by the Squamish Sikh community, and was open to the public.

Though the event traditionally celebrates Guru Arjan’s martyrdom by the Mughal Empire in 1606, the festival also marks the beginning of the Sikh warrior tradition, which began soon after the Guru’s execution. Thus, festivalgoers were also treated to displays of Gatka, or traditional sword fighting, as well as Dhol drumming, both of which were put on by schools from Abbotsford and Surrey. 

The event drew performers from most sections of the Lower Mainlands Sikh community, including Dhadi Jatha musicians, who performed ballads in Punjabi, accompanied of the Sarangi fiddle and Dhadi drums.

One of the most popular stalls was that set up by the Sikh motorcycle club of Vancouver, which added to the colour of the day by tying saffron turbans onto any eager participants. “Saffron is meant to symbolize sacrifice,” one member of the club explained. “That is the theme of the day.”

The parade, known as Nagar Kirtan (which roughly translates to “street hymn singing”) began around noon. The floats made their way from the Sikh temple to the end of Cleveland Avenue, where the crowd gathered in the O’Siem Pavilion to listen to speeches by community leaders and musicians, as well as to watch thrilling stunts by martial artists.

Amidst the food, music, displays and laughter, there was an underlying sense of communal unity throughout the day. The festival has not only become a day of celebrating Sikh culture and identity throughout the Lower Mainland, but also serves as a platform for sharing this culture and it’s festivities with the larger Squamish community. Inclusivity as well as celebration seemed the central themes of the day.

 

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Source: Steven Chua
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