Guru Nanak Jayanti 2025: Date, significance, and celebrations
What's the story
Guru Nanak Jayanti, also known as Gurupurab or Prakash Utsav, will be celebrated on November 5, 2025. The day marks the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism. The full moon day of Kartik month (October-November) is considered auspicious for this occasion.
Festival significance
Spiritual and social significance
Guru Nanak Jayanti is more than just a festival, it's a celebration of love, kindness, and humanity. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's teachings continue to inspire people around the world. He emphasized three key principles: remember God's name (Naam Japo), work honestly (Kirat Karo), and share with others (Vand Chakko). These timeless values, recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib, encourage everyone to live with humility, compassion, and a spirit of service.
Festival practices
Celebratory processions and prayers
The celebrations for Guru Nanak Jayanti begin two days prior with the Akhand Path, a continuous 48-hour reading of the Guru Granth Sahib. Early morning processions called Prabhat Pheri are held where devotees walk through their neighborhoods singing hymns. The main day also features Nagar Kirtan, a grand procession led by the Panj Pyare, with devotional music, community singing, and martial art displays.
Community kitchen
The community kitchen langar
The true spirit of the festival is reflected in the langar, a community kitchen where everyone is welcome to sit together and share a simple vegetarian meal. Volunteers, known as sewadars, spend hours cooking, serving, and cleaning as acts of devotion. There is no hierarchy in this kitchen; everyone eats the same food seated side by side.
Equality
A message of universal harmony
Guru Nanak Jayanti reminds the world of the importance of unity, peace, and equality. The festival goes beyond religious boundaries, inviting people from all walks of life to participate and reflect on Guru Nanak Dev Ji's message of oneness. His teachings continue to inspire compassion, truth, and selfless service, values that remain deeply relevant in today's world.