Photos: Sikhs celebrate harvest festival of Baisakhi, marking new year

Baisakhi is an ancient festival symbolising the new harvest season and the beginning of the solar new year.

In gurdwaras, or Sikh temples, people participate in congregational singing, eat communal meals and reflect on the tenets of their faith that revolve around “seva,” or serving fellow human beings and seeking to build a just society while living a simple life.

The Sikh religion, with its line of 10 gurus, is traced back to the time of Guru Nanak, the first guru. He was born in a village in present-day Pakistan in the northern state of Punjab in 1469.

He rejected the prevalent unequal caste system, which determined and fixed the status of people by birth. Instead, he looked upon humanity as one and encouraged his followers to work hard and perform acts of charity.

The spirit of Baisakhi is reminiscent of the ideals of the gurus.