Vaisakhi, also pronounced Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakha and is usually celebrated annually on 13 or 14 April as the Hindu and Sikh solar new year. It is additionally a spring harvest festival for many Indians. This year Vaisakhi will be celebrated on Thursday, 14 April 2022 in India. This day is also celebrated as Khalsa Sajna Divas (Baisakhi 1699) in Sikhism.
The first Hola Mohalla was celebrated in AD 1670 a year after the birth of the Khalsa Panth.The word ‘HOLA’ has been derived from Halla meaning attack and hence MOHALLA for the place of attack – Holgarh in Anandpur SahibHola Mohalla was started by the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji to celebrate the Holla Mohala insted of Holi, as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercise and mock battles to train the army.The celebrations of Hola-Mohalla are still centred at Anandpur Sahib and one can enjoy mock battles in the form of Gatka, mock fighting on horseback, dagger play and more demonstrated by the Nihang Singhs.
10 FACTS You must know about Khalsayee Festival
This festival is a Sikh festival celebrated in the Bikrami month of Phalgun. It has nothing to do with Holi except that Hola falls on the day next to Holi.
The word ‘Hola’ has been derived from halla meaning attack and hence Mohalla for the place of attack – Holgarh in Anandpur Sahib.
This festival was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Jee Maharaj as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles to train the army.
It is an occasion for the Sikhs to re-affirm their commitment to Khalsa Panth.
The first Hola-Mohalla was celebrated after the birth of the Khalsa Panth.
The celebrations of Hola-Mohalla are still centered at Anandpur Sahib and have a considerable element of the mock battles in the form of Gatka, mock fighting on horseback, dagger play, and more demonstrated by the Nihang Singhs who flock to Anandpur Sahib in large numbers.
Holla-Mohalla is celebrated for three-days that implies an organized procession (Nagar Kirtan) in the form of an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to another.
Today Hola-Mohalla has grown into a huge fair and attracts people from all over the country and the world to participate or watch this Khalsayee festival.
At the Hola-Mohalla, one can observe Langar at close quarters from different Sikh congregations welcoming pilgrims and visitors irrespective of their caste, creed, or religion.
Last but not least, Holla-Mohalla is a sense of liberated living that can be felt in the energetic expressions of Nihangs riding their horses at high speeds, while performing acrobatics on the horsebacks.
