Anniversaries
associated with the lives of the Sikh Gurus are referred to as Gurpurbs
(festivals). Of these the important ones are the birthdays of Guru
Nanak and Guru Govind Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun
Dev and Guru Teg Bahadur. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith,
was born in a Punjabi village (which is now in Pakistan) in 1469.
His birth anniversary, or Guru Nanak's jayanti, which falls in the
months of October-November, is enthusiastically celebrated by Sikhs
as gurpurab. Gurpurbs witness the culminations of Prabhat Pheris,
the early morning religious procession which goes around the localities
singing shabads (hymns). These Pheris generally start three weeks
before the festival. Devotees offer sweets and tea when the procession
passes by their residence. The celebrations start with the three-day
akhand path in which the Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs)
is read continuously from beginning to end without a break.
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