Sikh Heritage Month | |
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Observed by | Canada |
Significance | Celebration of Sikh arts, culture and heritage of the Canadian Sikh community |
Begins | 1 April |
Ends | 30 April |
Date | April (Canada) |
Frequency | Annual |
Started by | Government of Canada |
Sikh Heritage Month is an annually observed commemorative month in Canada. It is the celebration of Sikh arts, culture and heritage of the Canadian Sikh community. Sikh Heritage Month is celebrated in April in Canada, where it has received official recognition from the Government of Canada. [1] [2] [3]
In 2013, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario made history by proclaiming April as Sikh Heritage Month in Ontario through Bill 52 put forward by Jagmeet Singh, who was Member of Provincial Parliament at the time. [2] [4] This was the first global recognition that celebrates Sikh arts, culture and heritage. [5]
In October 2017, Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal then introduced Bill 376 for Sikh Heritage Month to be recognised on a country-wide level. [6] Dhaliwal received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette in November 2018, which officially made Canada the first country to create Sikh Heritage Month. It also received approval in the Senate of Canada in April 2019. [7]
Sikh Heritage Month plays an important role in supporting and the promotion of Canadian Nagar kirtan, which is a religious procession that is usually held in April, coinciding with Vaisakhi. This procession also highlights Canadian Sikh culture, attracting large community participation particularly in Surrey, British Columbia. [8]
In 2023, ‘Treasure of Sikh Heritage’ exhibit was displayed at the city hall in Surrey, British Columbia. [9]
During Sikh Heritage Month in April 2024, a free exhibit on Sikh heritage was displayed at Northern College, Ontario, Timmins Public Library and the Timmins Museum. [10] [11]
In 2024, Sikh Heritage Month in Ontario celebrated the successful launch of the "1984 Path of the Warrior Saints" exhibition drawing over 500 visitors to the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives. This was co-curated by poet and author, Rupi Kaur. [12]
In honour of Sikh Heritage Month, charity and non-profit Khalsa Aid organized a food drive, aiming to collect 200,000 meals, with 100,000 meals dedicated to food banks in the Greater Toronto Area. The initiative is inspired by Sikh principles of Seva (selfless service), supported local food banks facing rising demand amidst growing homelessness and food insecurity. [13]
In 2024, the Drug Awareness Society of Toronto (DAST) launched an alcohol-free challenge and a substance abuse awareness campaign during Sikh Heritage Month. The initiative, focusing on the Punjabi-Canadian community in Brampton and surrounding areas, aimed to educate and empower youth and parents about the dangers of alcohol and drug use. It aims to encourage healthier choices through seminars and workshops in both Gurdwaras and schools. [14]
Alongside the recognition by the Government of Canada, other provinces and towns have also marked recognition of Sikh Heritage Month in Canada.
Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within the Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ninth most populous municipality in Canada and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban area, behind Toronto and Mississauga.
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of 44,819 in 2023. The city's economy is based on natural resource extraction. It is supported by industries related to lumbering, and to the mining of gold, zinc, copper, nickel, and silver. Timmins serves as a regional service and distribution centre.
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern India. Whilst it is culturally significant as a festival of harvest, in many parts of India, Vaisakhi is also the date for the Indian Solar New Year.
The Punjabi Market, also known as Little India, is a commercial district and ethnic enclave in Vancouver, British Columbia. Officially recognized by the city as being primarily a major South Asian, Indo-Canadian and Punjabi population business community and cultural area, the Punjabi District is roughly a six block section of Main Street around 49th Avenue in the Sunset neighbourhood.
The Ontario Khalsa Darbar, popularly referred to as Dixie Gurdwara, is a Sikh Gurdwara in Mississauga, Ontario. One of the few Sikh Gurdwara in Canada, it attracts hundreds of celebrants for major religious festivals. A gurdwara, meaning "the doorway to the Guru", is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple.
The Komagata Maru incident involved the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, on which a group of people from British India attempted to migrate to Canada in April 1914, but most were denied entry and forced to return to Budge Budge, near Calcutta. There, the Indian Imperial Police attempted to arrest the group leaders. A riot ensued, and they were fired upon by the police, resulting in some deaths.
Guru Nanak Gurpurab, also known as Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav, celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. One of the most celebrated and important Sikh gurus and the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak is highly revered by the Sikh community. This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, or Sikhi. The festivities in the Sikh religion revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs. Their birthdays, known as Gurpurab, are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.
Sukhminder "Sukh" Singh Dhaliwal is a Canadian businessman and politician, who has served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Surrey—Newton since 2015. He was previously the Member of Parliament for Newton—North Delta from 2006 to 2011.
The Ontario Gurdwaras Committee is an independent, non-profit organization representing over 20 gurdwaras—Sikh places of worship—located in Ontario and Quebec. It organizes such events as the annual Khalsa Day parade in Mississauga.
Hinduism is the third-largest religion in Canada, with approximately 2.3% of the nation's total population identifying as Hindu in the 2021 census. As of 2021, there are over 828,000 Canadians of the Hindu faith.
Sikhism is the fourth-largest religious group in Canada, with nearly 800,000 adherents, or 2.1% of Canada's population, as of 2021. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. As of the 2021 Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).
Sarindar Dhaliwal is a multi-media artist, born in India, raised in England, and based in Toronto.
Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by the Punjabis, originating in the Punjab region. The Punjabis are religiously a diverse and that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, a total of ∼75% percent of the Punjabi population is Muslim, accounting about 90 million people, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus who predominantly live in India.
Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017. Singh has sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby South since 2019. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2011, representing Bramalea—Gore—Malton until his entry into federal politics. A practicing Sikh of Punjabi descent, Singh is an Indo-Canadian, making him the first Sikh to be elected to lead a major federal political party in Canada.
Chandrakanth "Chandra" Arya is a Canadian Liberal politician, who represents the riding of Nepean in the House of Commons of Canada since the 2015 federal election.
Punjabi Canadians number approximately 950,000 and account for roughly 2.6% of Canada's population, as per the 2021 Canadian census. Their heritage originates whollym or partly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. As part of the larger closure decisions in Ontario, a stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations.
Anti-Sikh sentiment in Canada is the manifestation of hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Canadian Sikhs as a religious and ethnic group. This form of racism has affected Sikhs since Canada's Sikh community was established in 1897.
Narrated by broadcaster Kuljeet Kaila, it includes a clip of Dhaliwal speaking about his private member's Bill C-376, which designates April as Sikh Heritage Month.