Sikh Gurpurab Calendar

Sikh Gurpurab Calendar

Sikh Calendar origin

Until the 13th of March, 1998, the Sikhs used a Hindu lunar calendar to determine their feast days. They now use their own Nanakshahi calendar which started on 14 March 1999 Gregorian (1 Chet, year 531 Nanakshahi ) and aligns with the Gregorian calendar as follows. The era (1 Chet 1 Nanakshahi) is the date of the birth of the 1st Guru, Nanak Dev, in the Punjab in 1469. Although there is an obvious relationship with the Hindu Solar Calendar, the Sikh Organisation states that these dates are fixed relative to the Gregorian Calendar.

The Nanakshahi calendar is used for all the Gurupurabs (festivals marking events in the lives of the Gurus) except the birthday of Guru Nanak which continues to be celebrated according to the Hindu Lunar calendar on Katik Poornamashi. Events such as Maghi and Hola Mohalla continue to be celebrated according to the relevant calendars. Some Gurupurabs are considered more significant that others. These are the ones that commonly appear as holidays.

Gurpurabs mark the culmination of Prabhat Pheris, the early morning religious procession which goes around the localities singing shabads (hymns). These pheris generally start three weeks before the festival. Devotees offer sweets and tea when the procession passes their homes. The celebrations start with the three-day akhand path, in which the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) is read continuously from beginning to end without a break. The conclusion of the reading coincides with the day of the festival. The Granth Sahib is also carried in procession on a float decorated with flowers throughout the village or city. Five armed guards, who represent the Panj Pyares, head the procession carrying Nishan Sahibs (the Sikh flag). Local bands play religious music and marching schoolchildren form a special part of the procession. Free sweets and langar (community lunches) are also offered to everyone irrespective of religious faith. Local volunteers serve it with a spirit of seva (service) and bhakti (devotion). Sikhs visit gurdwaras (Sikh temples) where special programmes are arranged and kirtans (religious songs) sung. Houses and gurdwaras are lit up to add to the festivities.

SIKH MONTHS

Sikh Month	Begins Dates
Chet	March 14
Vaisakh	April 14
Jeth	May 15
Harh	June 15
Sawan	July 16
Bhadon	August 16
Asu	September 15
Katik	October 15
Maghar	November 14
Poh	December 14
Magh	January 13
Phagan	February 12

Sikh Events By Date

Nanakshahi Date	Gregorian Date	Event
Chet 1	March 14	Accession of Guru Har Rai & Nanakshahi New Year Day
Chet 6	March 19	Guru Hargobind left this world
Vaisakh 3	April 16	Guru Angad Dev left this world Accession of Guru Amar Das Guru Harkrishan left this world Accession of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Vaisakh 5	April 18	Birth of Guru Angad Dev Birth of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Vaisakh 19	May 2	Birth of Guru Arjan Dev
Jeth 9	May 23	Birth of Guru Amar Das
Jeth 28	June 11	Accession of Guru Hargobind
Harh 2	June 16	Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, burnt alive at the stake. Kachi lassi (sweetened milk) is offered to the thirsty passers-by to commemorate his exit from this world.
Harh 21	July 5	Birth of Guru Hargobind
Sawan 8	July 23	Birth of Guru Harkrishan
Bhadon 17	September 1	Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book of the Sikhs) in the Golden Temple by Guru Arjan Dev
Asu 2	September 16	Guru Amar Das left this world Accession of Guru Ram Das Guru Ram Das left this world Accession of Guru Arjan Dev
Asu 4	September 18	Accession of Guru Angad Dev
Asu 8	September 22	Guru Nanak Dev left this world
Asu 25	October 9	Birth of Guru Ram Das
Katik 6	October 20	Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book of the Sikhs) as eternal Guru Guru Har Rai left this world Accession of Guru Harkrishan
Katik 7	October 21	Martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded.
Maghar 11	November 24	Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, beheaded in Delhi by the Moghul emperor. Accession of Guru Gobind Singh
Poh 23	January 5	Birth of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna. He created the Khalsa (Sikh Brotherhood) and made it mandatory for them to have the five Ks - Kesh (hair), Kripan (dagger), Kada (bracelet), Kangha (comb) and Kachcha (underwear). During his time the warrior/yogi Maadhav Das, later known as Banda Bairagi successfully fought the Moghuls and finally died a martyr. Gobind Singh was a poet and archer and knew Persian, Arabic and Punjabi as well as Samskrit and Hindi,
Magh 19	January 31	Birth of Guru Har Rai
Other Observances
Vaisakh 1	April 14	The Creation of the Khalsa (Sikh brotherhood, "the pure")
Poh 1	December 21	Martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's Elder Sons, Ajit and Jujhar
Poh 13	December 26	Martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's Younger Sons

Sikh Events By Guru

Guru	Parkash (Birthday)	Gur Ghaddhi (Guruship)	Jyoti Jot (left this world)
1st Guru Nanak Dev	Katik Pooranmashi	from Parkash	Asu 8 September 22
2nd Guru Angad Dev	Vaisakh 5 April 18	Asu 4 September 18	Vaisakh 3 April 16
3rd Guru Amar Das	Jeth 9 May 23	Vaisakh 3 April 16	Asu 2 September 16
4th Guru Ram Das	Asu 25 October 9	Asu 2 September 16	Asu 2 September 16
5th Guru Arjan Dev	Vaisakh 19 May 2	Asu 2 September 16	Harh 2 June 16
6th Guru Hargobind	Harh 21 July 5	Jeth 28 June 11	Chet 6 March 19
7th Guru Har Rai	Magh 19 January 31	Chet 1 March 14	Katik 6 October 20
8th Guru Harkrishan	Sawan 8 July 23	Katik 6 October 20	Vaisakh 3 April 16
9th Guru Tegh Bahadur	Vaisakh 5 April 18	Vaisakh 3 April 16	Maghar 11 November 24
10th Guru Gobind Singh	Poh 23 January 5	Maghar 11 November 24	Katik 7 October 21
Installation of the Guru Granth Sahib in the Golden Temple by Guru Arjan Dev	Bhadon 17 September 1	Katik 6 October 20

Other Important Days

Other Important Days
Chet
1 Chet / 14 March - Nanakshahi New Year Day
2 Chet / 15 March - S. Baghel Singh's conquest of Delhi
12 Chet / 25 March - Shaheedi Bhai Subeg Singh, Bhai Shahbaz Singh
27 Chet / 9 April - Birthday Sahibzada Jujhar Singh Ji
Vaisakh
1 Vaisakh / 14 April (Vaisakhi) - Birth Anniversary of Khalsa
Jeth
3 Jeth / 17 May - Chhota Ghallughara
21 Jeth / 4 June - 1984 Ghallughara (Attack on Sri Akal Takht Sahib)
23 Jeth / 6 June - Shaheedi Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Ji
Harh
11 Harh / 25 June - Shaheedi Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur
15 Harh / 29 June - Barsi Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji
25 Harh / 9 July - Shaheedi Bhai Mani Singh Ji
Sawan
1 Sawan / 16 July - Shaheedi Bhai Taru Singh Ji
24 Sawan / 8 August - Morcha Guru Ka Bagh
Bhadon
15 Bhadon / 30 August 2004 - Mela Baba Bakala
Assu
17 Assu / 1 October - Foundation Day Singh Sabha
21 Assu / 5 October - Mela Beerh Baba Buddha Ji
Katik
8 Katik / 22 October 2004 - Khalsa Darbar
14 Katik / 28 October - Foundation Day Chief Khalsa Diwan
14 Katik / 28 October - Saka Panja Sahib
18 Katik / 1 November - Punjabi Suba Day
30 Katik / 13 November - Shaheedi Baba Deep Singh Ji Shaheed
Maghar
1 Maghar / 14 November - Foundation Day SGPC
11 Maghar / 24 November - Shaheedi Bhai Mati Das Ji, and Bhai Sati Das Ji
15 Maghar / 28 November - Birthday Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji
19 Maghar / 2 December - Shaheedi Baba Gurbakhsh Singh Ji
29 Maghar / 12 December - Birthday Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji
30 Maghar / 13 December - Foundation Day Shromani Akali Dal
Poh
8 Poh / 21 December - Shaheedi Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh , and other Shaheeds of Chamkaur Sahib ---- 300th Anniversary
8 Poh / 21 December - Shaheedi Baba Jeevan Singh Ji
13 Poh / 26 December - Shaheedi Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, Sahibzada Fateh Singh, and Mata Gujri Ji's passing away ---- 300th Anniversary
Magh
1 Magh / 13 January - Mela Maghi Muktsar
1 Magh / 13 January - Foundation Day Sri Harimandar Sahib
7 Magh / 19 January - Morcha for Keys
25 Magh / 6 February - Mela Kottha Sahib
27 Magh / 8 February - Great Holocast
30 Magh / 11 February - Birthday Sahibzada Ajit Singh Ji
Phagun
10 Phagun / 21 February - Saka Nankana Sahib
10 Phagun / 21 February - Jaito Morcha

Movable Dates (Change Every Year)

Year
HolaMohalla
BandiChhorDivas
ParkashGuruNanakSahib

2003	19Mar	25Oct	8Nov
2004	7Mar	12Nov	26Nov
2005	26Mar	1Nov	15Nov
2006	15Mar	21Oct	5Nov
2007	4Mar	9Nov	24Nov
2008	22Mar	28Oct	13Nov
2009	11Mar	17Oct	2Nov
2010	1Mar	5Nov	21Nov
2011	20Mar	26Oct	10Nov
2012	9Mar	13Nov	28Nov
2013	28Mar	3Nov	17Nov
2014	17Mar	23Oct	6Nov
2015	6Mar	11Nov	25Nov
2016	24Mar	30Oct	14Nov
2017	13Mar	19Oct	4Nov
2018	2Mar	7Nov	23Nov
2019	21Mar	27Oct	12Nov
2020	10Mar	14Nov	30Nov

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