Suburban Sikhs mark Vaisakhi harvest festival
Sikhs across the suburbs and the globe are celebrating Vaisakhi, a spring harvest festival originating in the Punjab region of South Asia - now India and Pakistan - that started Friday and runs through this weekend.
Each year on April 14, Sikhs celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, in 1469, and the year when Sikhism became a collective faith in 1699.
In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of Sikhs, chose the festival as the moment to establish the Khalsa - the collective name given to Sikhs who've been initiated into the community, similar to an act of baptism.
Farmers in Punjab also use Vaisakhi as an opportunity to give thanks for a plentiful harvest and pray for a good one in the year to come.
During the festival, community members gather at gurdwaras for religious services, cook langar (communal meals), participate in nagar kirtans (special processions), and do seva (service).
The largest nagar kirtan takes place in the city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, India, where Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa.
Traditional Punjabi dhol (drum) music and bhangra dancing, eating and sharing sweets are important parts of the celebration.
Gurdwaras in Palatine and Wheaton will mark the festival with religious and communal activities on Sunday.
Celebrations at the Sikh Religious Society in Palatine include religious services from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; langar served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and 11 a.m. ceremonial changing of the Nishan Sahib - Sikh community flag - that flies over gurdwara.
The Illinois Sikh Community Center in Wheaton will have religious services and langar from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 1 p.m., Wheaton Mayor Phillip Suess will present the Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Proclamation to the Sikh community at the gurdwara.
Illinois designated April as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month, starting in 2020. Since then, several villages, cities, townships and counties have issued proclamations recognizing the month.
"It is significant for Sikh Americans because Sikhs and their places of worship have faced many hate crimes, especially after 9/11," said Rajinder Singh Mago, coordinator of Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month activities in Illinois.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin earlier this week presented a proclamation recognizing April as Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month to dozens of Sikh youth and adults.
Irvin encouraged Aurorans to "get to know your Sikh neighbors not just during April, but throughout the year."
Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world. There are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide and an estimated 500,000 Sikh Americans.
Illinois is home to 25,000 Sikhs, with an estimated 10,000 Sikhs living in the greater Chicago area.