Baisakhi — also spelled Vaisakhi — is one of the most important festivals for Sikhs and a major harvest festival in the Punjab region. It carries both an agricultural and a deeply religious meaning. It falls around 13–14 April (14 April is a Tuesday in 2026). Here's the history.
See the Baisakhi holiday page or India's holiday calendar.
What is Baisakhi?
Baisakhi has two layers of meaning:
- Harvest festival — it traditionally marks the spring harvest in Punjab, a time of thanksgiving and celebration for farmers.
- Solar new year — it falls on the first day of the month of Vaisakha and is observed as a new-year/spring festival in several South Asian traditions.
The founding of the Khalsa (1699)
For Sikhs, Baisakhi has a profound religious significance: on Baisakhi in 1699, the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa — the community of initiated Sikhs — at Anandpur Sahib. He initiated the first Panj Pyare ("Five Beloved Ones") and gave the Khalsa its distinctive identity and code.
This makes Baisakhi one of the most important days in the Sikh calendar.
How Baisakhi is celebrated
- Visits to gurdwaras (Sikh temples), special prayers, and processions (Nagar Kirtan).
- Bhangra and gidda — energetic Punjabi folk dances.
- Community meals (langar) and fairs.
- Thanksgiving for the harvest.
Why it falls in mid-April
Because Baisakhi follows the solar calendar (the sun entering the sign of Aries / the month of Vaisakha), it consistently falls around 13–14 April each year.
Quick answers
What is Baisakhi? A major Sikh festival and Punjabi harvest celebration, also marking a solar new year, around 13–14 April.
Why is Baisakhi important for Sikhs? On Baisakhi in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa, giving the Sikh community its distinctive identity.
Is Baisakhi a harvest festival? Yes — it traditionally marks the spring harvest in Punjab, alongside its religious significance.
When is Baisakhi 2026? Around Tuesday, 14 April 2026 — see the holiday page.