The Punjabi New Year and the harvest festival are celebrated with a lot of pomp and show, especially in the Northern regions of India. A major tradition of the entire festival known as Awat Pauni is characterized by people getting together in large groups to harvest wheat. Baisakhi is said to fall in such a period where the Rabi crops are ready to be harvested and hence it is also known to be the thanksgiving day of Indian farmers. Now if you ask about why it is celebrated then there are many valuable incidents associated!

During the reign of Emperor Jahangir in 1606, Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru was arrested and executed. Jahangir did this as he was believed to be threatened by the growth of the Sikh faith, especially the number of Muslim converts. The same thing repeated in 1675 during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb when Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was executed. As the story goes, Guru Gobind Singh came out of his tent with a sword and asked for any man willing to die for his faith to step forward. One young man

As the story goes, Guru Gobind Singh came out of his tent with a sword and asked for any man willing to die for his faith to step forward. One young man did and went into the Guru’s tent with him. Minutes later, the Guru emerged alone, with blood dripping from his sword. He then asked for another volunteer, with the same result. Five men had gone in without returning, leaving others in attendance worried until eventually Guru Gobind Singh brought out all five men alive, and wearing turbans. These five men are known as the Panj Piare, or Beloved Five. They were then baptized into the Khalsa by the Guru, sprinkled Amrit over them while reciting prayers. After that, this day was celebrated as the Punjabi New Year and the harvest festival for Rabi crop as well.