Bay Area Sikhs Celebrate Guru Nanak’s Birthday

November 16, 2005

Source: SikhNet News / Mercury News

http://www.sikhnet.com/Sikhnet/news.nsf/RecentNewsHTML/B5C0A7858B4946C9872570BB00697CFC!OpenDocument

On November 16, 2005 Mercury News reported, "Thousands of Bay Area Sikhs flocked to local gurdwaras, or temples, Tuesday evening to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev, the birth of the religious community's founder who advocated equality, honesty and charity in life. Temples in San Jose, Fremont, Hayward and El Sobrante were crowded by followers who came to listen to kirtan, the singing and chanting of Punjabi hymns in tribute to the founder of Sikhism... Bigger celebrations are scheduled for Sunday, when gurdwara officials expect more people to join in the celebrations. 'It's one of the most celebrated days of the Sikh religion,' said Rani Yadav-Ranjan, who attends the San Jose gurdwara... 'Tonight, we re-affirm what he died for,' Yadav-Ranjan said, 'and celebrate his life'... Sukhdev Singh Bainiwal, a member of the supreme council of the Fremont gurdwara, likened the celebration to Christmas. 'There's a lot of lights,' he said. 'It's a joyful moment.'"