It’s a religious event built on tradition and focused on uniting community, but it is also a celebration with plenty of food and fun.
On Saturday, the Squamish Sikh Society will commemorate Martyrdom of Fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, whom Sikhs believe was tortured and eventually executed for refusing to renounce his beliefs, according to Avtar Gidda of the Squamish Sikh Society.
Gidda one of the organizers of the 11th annual celebration on Saturday, when a street parade will kick off starting from the Gurudwara Baba Nanak Sahib Sikh Temple on Fifth Avenue at 10 a.m. and wind through downtown Squamish. A short reading and presentations will follow at O’Siyam Pavilion Park. As in previous years, free food will be offered along the parade route, and vendors will be set up at the park, Gidda said.
“My favourite part is seeing the people mingling with each other without class, colour, creed or any distinction,” he said. “There will be free embraces and free smiles and everyone cooperating.”
Gidda said the number of people drawn to the event has grown year over year, which helps to increase tourism and grows the Sikh community in Squamish, he said.
“It is good for the business of Squamish,” Gidda said. “Last time, they showed interest in buying property or opening businesses in Squamish. They are very much aware of Squamish.”
In 2015, the event drew 3,500 people, according to Gidda. Preparations begin days in advance with work in the kitchen starting Wednesday, Gidda said.
Staples for the various dishes are bought locally as much as possible, but Squamish does not offer all the items needed or in the quantity required to feed thousands, Gidda said.
The dishes require lots of buttermilk and chickpeas, for example, which can’t be bought in the quantity needed in Squamish.
For young people in the community the preparations and the celebration teach the spirit of Sikhism, Gidda said.
“One of the best qualities of Sikhism is to share food and share with people who don’t have enough and share feelings – the sorrows, the happiness. We are supposed to be part of western society and we are supposed to be proud of ourselves that we are Canadian citizens – and we want to keep our spirit of Sikhism in the mainstream.”
