‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

Downtown Winnipeg came alive with vibrant sights, sounds, and scents on Sunday, as Manitoba’s Sikh community flocked to Memorial Park to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

This year marked the 422nd anniversary of the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture central to the Sikh faith. Shortly after 1 p.m., a palanquin bearing a copy of the scripture was led in parade through downtown Winnipeg, with musical accompaniment.

“This is a chance to tell the public and the whole community where we come from and who we are,” said volunteer Prabh Grewal shortly before the procession got underway. “In a community there are people from every race and every country, and our main objective is to have everybody live in peace and harmony together.”

Before, during, and after the procession, the park hummed with life. As many as 55,000 people converged on the site, with the majority dressed in festive traditional attire. Near the height of the day’s 30 C heat, families relaxed in patches of shade, enjoying plates of Punjabi cuisine dished out for free at dozens of tents sponsored by local businesses.

On the main stage, musicians performed traditional music and chants. Near the procession, youth gave demonstrations of gatka, the traditional Sikh martial art. Some tents around the site offered information about Sikh charitable opportunities, including the local chapter of international NGO Khalsa Aid and other organizations.

That focus on communal support felt especially poignant, given a troubling incident that struck the site the day before. On Saturday, observers spotted racist graffiti on a Broadway transit sign, including a swastika and a threat targeting the community. With that in mind, Sunday was a chance to emphasize unity, Grewal said.

“It’s just going back to the basics of how everybody can come together as one community, no matter what country you’re from or what colour your skin is,” Grewal said. “We belong to this community, and we are giving back to the community. There’s always something going back.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca