Baisakhi Festival is one of the important festival of Sikhs.

In 2012 Baisakhi festival will be celebrated on Friday, April 13th around the India (specially Punjab). This day also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, People of North India, thank God for good harvest. We can say Baisakhi is a Religious Festival, Harvest Festival and New Years Day in India.

Importance
Since agriculture is the backbone of the Indian sub-continent, it provides livelihood to majority of the people in the rural areas of the country, the festival of harvest are given special importance in the calendar of events. Vaisakhi/Baisakhi is one of the important festivals celebrated with fun and fervor by the people living in the northern parts of the country. Apart from being a harvest festival, it holds religious significance too.[1]

Vaisakhi in Sikh history

For people of Punjab, especially the Sikhs, Visakhi is a mega event. It's a religious as well as harvest festival and New Year Day also. For the Sikh community, it has a very special meaning. Sikhs celebrate Visakhi as the day of the formation of the Khalsa (the pure one). On the day, in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru) established the Khalsa and eliminated the differences of high and low and established that all human beings are equal.[2][3] Sikhism, in its present form, owes its existence to that Visakhi day. After the Visakhi day of 1699, the tradition of Gurus was put to an end by the Sikhs and later the Guru Granth Sahib was declared as their eternal guide and Holy Book by the tenth Guru.

The history tells another story that in 1567, Guru Ram Das committed Visakhi as one of the special days, when all the Sikhs would assemble to seek the blessings from Guru at Goindwal. Many Sikhs believe that on the day of Baisakhi, martyred by the barbaric acts of the Muslim rulers. According to the legend, he was dumped into boiling oil, by the Muslim rulers.

[edit] Visakhi in Hinduism and Other religions

For the Hindus, it is the start of the New Year, and is celebrated with requisite bathing, partying, and worshipping.[4] It's believed that thousands of years ago, Goddess Ganga descended to earth and in her honor, many Hindus gather along the sacred Ganges River for ritual baths. The action is centered in the holy cities along the Ganges in north India, or in Srinagar's Mughal Gardens, Jammu's Nagbani Temple, or anywhere in Tamil Nadu. Hindus plant poles (wrapped in flags of god-embroidered silk) in front of their homes, and hang pots of brass, copper or silver on top.

In Kerala, the festival is called 'Vishu'. It includes fireworks, shopping for new clothes and interesting displays called 'Vishu Kani'. These are arrangements of flowers, grains, fruits, cloth,

gold, and money are viewed early in the morning, to ensure a year of prosperity. In Assam, the festival is called Bohag Bihu, and the community organizes massive feasts, music and dancing.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj on Baisakhi, in 1875. Therefore, Baisakhi is as special for the Hindus, as it is for Sikhs. In April, this day marks the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year. In fact, this day is celebrated all over the country as New Year day, under different names.[citation needed]

Apart from the Sikhs and Hindus, Baisakhi is an important day for the Buddhists as well. The name is Vaisakha, Wesak or Vesak. It commemorates the Birth, the Awakening and the Enlightened Passing Away of Buddha Gautama who was born as prince Siddharta. The festival occurs on the full moon day of May and has no connections with either harvest festivals or New Year's day.