🙏Guru Nanak Jayanti 2023: Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab

Guru Nanak Jayanti 2023 will be celebrated on 27th November 2023. Guru Nanak Jayanti, also known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, is a popular Sikh festival annually observed as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first and most important Sikh Guru. He is known as the founder of Sikhism and was highly revered by the Sikh Community. 

According to the Gregorian calendar, Gurpurab is celebrated on the full moon day in Kartik, typically in October or November. Let’s explore more about this popular Sikh festival and its importance in our society.

Name of the Event	Guru Nanak Jayanti 2023 (Gurpurab)
Date	27th November 2023
Observance	Birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Religion	Sikhism
Type of Holiday	Anniversary

Also Read: 10 Life Lessons by Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Who Was Guru Nanak Dev Ji?

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the first Sikh Guru who founded the Sikhism religion in the late 15th century. His teachings and words are registered in hymns, a total of 974, in the holy text of Sikhism. His resting place is Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Punjab (Pakistan). He proposed the 3 golden principles of Sikhism:

📌 To constantly remember God;

📌 To earn an honest livelihood; and

📌 To share your earnings with everyone through charity.

In the Sikh community, it is believed that Guru Nanak’s sanctity, divinity and religious authority had descended to the subsequent nine (9) Sikh Gurus. His teachings are mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture and are recorded in Gurmukhi. In the 20th century, three competing theories were proposed for Guru Nanak’s teachings:

• According to the hagiographical Janamsakhis, his teachings and Sikhism were not a social protest but revelations from God
  
• The second theory says that he was a Guru and not a prophet. Sikhism does not follow the concepts of incarnational and prophethood. Rather, it has an important concept of Guru. A Guru is an illumined soul
  
• The third theory states that Guru Nanak was an incarnation of God. Many Sikh intellectuals support this theory. One of the Sikh intellectuals, Bhai Gurdas said, ‘The Guru and God are one; He is the true master and the entire work craves for Him.’

The Holy Sikh book, Guru Granth Sahib, says. ‘O Nanak, serve the Guru, the Lord Incarnate; the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is profitable and at last, you shall not be called to account.’

Also Read: Regional Festivals in India

How to Celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti 2023?

Guru Nanak Jayanti is a welcoming festival for all communities around the world, meaning you don’t have to be a Sikh to celebrate this cultural and ritualistic festival. Celebrating Guru Nanak Jayanti can be a meaningful and spiritually enriching experience. Here are some traditional and ritual activities that you can do on this auspicious occasion:

• Visit a Gurudwara where you can participate in early morning prayers and listen to the recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib
  
• Participate in Kar Seva, which are voluntary services, such as community services or Langar, and engage in charitable activities
  
• Listen and understand the Gurbani, the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib. 
• Engage in Seva practices or selfless activities, to help those in need, regardless of their background. With this, you can promote the values of empathy and kindness
  
• Participate or organise events that focus on the teachings and philosophies of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus. The purpose of these activities is to spread awareness and deepen the understanding of Sikh principles.

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