Why is Baisakhi celebrated?
Most of the festivals in India are associated with the crop harvest from the farm lands. Among them Baisakhi is one festival which is celebrated by the people of Punjab with utmost happiness. The same festival Baisakhi is celebrated with various other names all over the country performing various rituals. But all these rituals are done when Rabi crop is harvested. Baisakhi word was derived from the word Vaisakh which is the name of a lunar month. This month is totally filled with festivals of joy and brightness. According to the Indian calendar the festival Baisakhi is celebrated on April 13th every year and in every 36 years it falls on April 14th.
Baisakhi is considered as auspicious by the Sikhs. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh who is the tenth guru ceased the path of succession of gurus on this day. Guru Gobind Singh has announced that Granth Sahib is the eternal guru for all Sikhs. On the day of Baisakhi Guru Arjan Dev was killed by the Muslim rulers who dropped him in boiling oil. On this day again in 1875, Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj. They were against idol worship and considered Vedas as sacred.
Baisakhi is celebrated by Bengalis as Naba Barsha (New Year). On this day they will have sacred ritual bath in Ganges River. They also decorate their houses very well on this occasion and prepare delicious food and eat.
In Assam Baisakhi is the day when people dress themselves in rich manner as per their traditional rules and dance all through the night. In Assam this festival is celebrated by the farmers in order to enjoy and get relaxed as they are going to harvest a large crop that is going to help their families financially. Baisakhi is celebrated two times in a year in the state of Himachal Pradesh to worship Goddess Jwalamukhi. Baisakhi is celebrated in the South India on the eve of Telugu and Tamil New years. Bihar people celebrate Baisakhi in the months of April as well as November to worship Surya, the Sun God. Hence Baisakhi is rejoiced in different places with different reasons. But all Indians do remarkably enjoy this day.
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