Baisakhi is an ancient festival that is celebrated in the Punjab region. The popular festival of the Sikhs, Baisakhi, is referred to by different names in different parts of India. It is also called Vaisakhi or Basao. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Vaisakh. The festival is dominant in the northern parts of the country. It marks the start of the spring celebrations and is observed with great fervor and enthusiasm. People visit their place of worship – Gurudwaras, and take part in nagar kirtan, the processions carried out in the streets. They also decorate the Gurudwaras and seek blessings. Kada prasad is distributed among the devotees, and people celebrate the day with their near and dear ones.
Sikhs observe this day as the formation of the Khalsa, which means the pure one. In the year 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh Guru, began the Khalsa. Khalsa is a group into which committed Sikhs can be initiated to demonstrate their devotion to their faith. It was Guru Gobind Singh who abolished the difference between the higher and the lower communities by making every human being equal. Finally, the Sikh Guru tradition came to an end by introducing Guru Grant Sahib as the Holy Book of Sikhism. Folk dances like bhangra and gidda are performed to celebrate the day. Additionally, it has religious significance for the Sikh community, and according to the Punjabi calendar, Baisakhi is also the start of the Punjabi New Year.