World's largest Vaisakhi Parade kicks off in Surrey (PHOTOS/VIDEOS)
Surrey is the place to be this weekend as hundreds of thousands of people came out to the Vaisakhi Parade on Saturday, April 22.
The Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade was organized by Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar and this year is the first year there’s been a parade since 2019.
For Sikhs in BC and around the world, Vaisakhi is a religious celebration. The holy day commemorates the birth or establishment of Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru, in 1699.
Sukhwant Dhillon/ AM600 Sher E Punjab Radio
IN PHOTOS: At Surrey’s Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade 2023 – by Sukhwant Dhillon (Part 1) https://t.co/X8ZQqmUXAk via @Indo-Canadian Voice pic.twitter.com/mTXwWTMeqY
— rattanjournalist (@RattanNews) April 22, 2023
Surrey Vaisakhi Parade #vaisakhi #parade #vaisakhi2023 #TD #punjab #khalsa pic.twitter.com/1ySaD3VHfI
— Sanjay Rana (@ranasanjay) April 22, 2023
#Vaisakhi #surreyvaisakhi pic.twitter.com/IXan21cJU7
— Omnipotent Student (@MeharBhogal) April 22, 2023
The Vaisakhi parade began at the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar Temple and featured floats, live music and dancers, and community groups.
The procession had over 2,500 participants and hundreds of booths lined the parade route.
In Sikhism, only vegetarian meals are served at temples and faith-based events such as Vaisakhi. The practice of serving free meals to the community are acts of seva and langar — two significant aspects of the Sikh religion.
Seva translates to selfless service and langar is the term used to describe the common kitchen where food is served at a gurdwara (Sikh temple).
Most gurdwaras in the world have a larger langar hall where people of all backgrounds, races, and religions are welcome to enjoy a free communal vegetarian meal.
Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade 2023
When:Â April 22, 2023
Time:Â 9:30 am to 4 pm
Where: Starts at the Gurdwara Dasmesh Darbar – 12885 85th Avenue, Surrey
Cost: Free
With files from Daniel Chai.