Sikh Society of Regina gathers to celebrate Vaisakhi
The Sikh Society of Regina’s sixth annual Vaisakhi celebration began Sunday with a large parade to the provincial legislature that was followed by festivities in Wascana Park.
“We celebrate this occasion every year in the honour of our tenth guru,” explained Manmeet Singh, executive member of the Regina Sikh Society.
Vaisakhi is a celebration of the spring harvest for many of India’s diverse cultural groups. The occasion is marked by community gatherings with lots of food as well as cultural and religious performances.
“The term we use here is Nagar Kirtan. Nagar means ‘city,’ and Kirtan means to ‘sing praises of the Lord,’ so we do it every year,” said Singh.
“We come together as a community, we get together on the streets of our city and we thank the god for getting us here and helping everyone through it.”
The Sikh Society was forced to cancel its celebrations in 2020 and postpone the event till August in 2021.
However, even with these disruptions, the event continues to grow year after year.
“We’ve got a way larger community, we’ve got delegates from Calgary and Toronto,” Singh said.
Among the hundreds of people celebrating on the legislative grounds was Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal. He called the celebration a "beautiful gathering."
“It’s an important time of year, celebrating our culture and our religion,” said Chahal. “And with the Nagar Kirtan, it’s to display to the community the importance of Sikhism and Vaisakhi.”
Singh and the rest of the Sikh Society hope the event becomes something everyone can enjoy.
“We hope in the future that everyone in Regina can come celebrate this day with us.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.