Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan in Rome, 2022

Vittorio Square. Rome, 24 April 2022

After years of silence and waiting, first due to the works on the park and then to the pandemic, the great Sikh religious festival Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan has returned – after four years – to its original and historic location in Piazza Vittorio (Vittorio Square), having now exceeded ten years of celebration in the heart of Rome.

This year was organized by the Gurudwara Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Sewa Society of Rome, and attracted as usual hundreds and hundreds of Sikhs faithful and curious spectators who were delighted by the traditional food offered to all (langar), bright colors dresses and turbans and gatka, the Sikh martial arts.

The procession crossed some streets adjacent to the park, parading in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and then returning to Piazza Vittorio and ending the long day with gatka performances.

 A joy for the eyes and the heart, looking forward to the next year.

April 13 or 14 is the beginning of the new calendar year for the Sikh community (which means “disciple”), the day that commemorates the baptism of the “Panj Piare” (the five devotees) at the hands of the tenth and last guru Gobind Singh, in 1699, from which derives the use of taking the surname “Singh” (lions) for men and “Khaur” (Princesses) for women.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion born in the city of Anandpur Sahib, India in the 15th century, based on the teaching of ten gurus who lived in India between the 15th and 18th centuries.

One of the youngest of the major religions, it is the fifth largest organized religion in the world, comprising some 25 million Sikhs at the beginning of the 21st century. Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of guru Nanak, the first guru (1469–1539), and the nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh (1676-1708), appointed the scripture Guru Granth Sahib as his successor, completing the line of human Gurus and establishing the Scriptures as an eternal and religious spiritual guide.

The etymology of the word Sikhism can be traced back to the Sikh word, which derives from Sanskrit and means “disciple”. Sikhs are the devotees of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, the sacred scriptures of the ten successive gurus from 1469 to 1708 and other lovers of the Creator. They mainly live in Punjab (Northwest India). They pray to the omnipresent and omnipotent Creator, who manifests himself through creation and who is reachable thanks to prayer and the help of a guide, the guru, that is, the one who gives light (wisdom) to darkness (ignorance).

Italian version