Watch as thousands in Kelowna celebrate Vaisakhi

Thousands danced, sang, and gathered in Rutland to mark Vaisakhi.

For Sikhs, predominantly in Northern India, the day is a chance to celebrate the spring harvest.

In Kelowna, faithful and community members descended on the Sikh temple to mark the occasion, as well as Nagar Kirtan, which is the processional singing of holy hymns by a group in a residential area. As part of it, the temple’s Guru is ushered around to bless a neighbourhood.

There is also a religious aspect to it all, which marks the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, commemorating the establishment of Khalsa, a group of the most dedicated Sikhs.

To him, Khalsa means protecting the weak, and those who do not have the means to protect themselves.

“If you see a sword in my hand, it’s not to protect me,” temple president resident, Paramjit Singh Patara explained. “It’s to protect anybody else that needs protection.”

The Sikh faith is rooted in providing for those around them, especially in their tradition of feeding the hungry.

And that was on full display during the celebration, as businesses and community members set up tents to provide traditional foods.

“Anybody can come any day into the temple and get food, but today it’s extra special,” Patara said. “A lot of the Indo-Canadian businesses, everybody's putting a lot of food out.”

They anticipated about 5,000 people would take part.

Patara said the Kelowna Sikh community has grown tremendously in the last few years, and it truly shows at an event like this.