Want to dance the Bhangra while enjoying kheer in your kurta? St. Albert residents will get to do all that (and learn what those words mean) next week as the city holds its first-ever public celebration of Baisakhi.
St. Albert resident Geeta Walia of the Creative Quest Foundation is hosting what is billed as this city’s first Baisakhi celebration, at the St. Albert Public Library’s downtown location on April 12.
Baisakhi (also known as Vaisakhi) is a spring harvest festival celebrated in India and other nations.
The library is a gathering place meant to help people learn more about the traditions and celebrations of St. Albert residents, said Alison Watson, adult services co-ordinator for the St. Albert Public Library, in an email. She said Walia is enthusiastic about building community in St. Albert and wants to share the Baisakhi experience with others.
“Her enthusiasm is infectious, and it is clear that this event celebrating Indian culture will enrich the multicultural fabric of our diverse and growing city!” Watson said.
Baisakhi 101
Walia said the Baisakhi event at the library will open with a presentation on holiday’s history and how to celebrate it.
Walia said Baisakhi is a major celebration in India that marks the start of harvest season. It typically falls on April 13 or 14; this year, it’s on the 13th.
Baisakhi is of additional importance to followers of Sikhism because of the actions of Guru Gobind Singh during the Baisakhi of 1699, Sikhnet.com says. Tradition holds that at a large Sikh gathering that day, the Guru asked for five volunteers who were prepared to die for their faith. After pretending to slay them with a bloody sword, he revealed the five were unharmed and baptized them into a new religious order called the Khalsa.
Walia said people who celebrate Baisakhi often dress in traditional clothes such as turbans, pointy shoes called jutti, and a long shirt called a kurta, all in bright, bold colours.
Walia said she planned to demonstrate a traditional folk dance often performed during Baisakhi called the Bhangra during next weekend’s event. It’s a very energetic dance with lots of lifted knees, bouncing, twirling, and waving arms, typically performed to the beat of a drum called a dhol. Men usually dance the Bhangra, while women usually perform a similar dance called the Gidda.
Guests at the event will also get to sample traditional foods served during Baisakhi, Walia continued. One will be kheer, which is a pudding made by boiling rice, sugar, and dried fruit in milk until it thickens. She will also be making chane (also called chole), which is a spicy chickpea curry often served with flatbread such as naan.
Walia encourages library patrons to come out and learn more about India and Baisakhi.
The Baisakhi event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Forsyth Hall April 12. Visit the events calendar on sapl.ca for details.
