“God has no marks, no colour, no caste, and no ancestors, No form, no complexion, no outline, no costume and is indescribable. He is fearless, luminous and measureless in might. He is the king of kings, the Lord of the prophets. He is the sovereign of the universe, gods, men and demons. The woods and dales sing the indescribable. O Lord, none can tell Thy names. The wise count your blessings to coin your names.” Guru Gobindh Singh
We join the Sikh in celebrating Guru Gobindh Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru and the last human one, who reinforced and shaped Sikh culture, faith and identity as we know it today. Who was this Guru? He was the spiritual guide who finalised the Sikh Sacred Scripture Guru Granth Sahib Ji. He was the poet and philosopher who established long lasting ethical and moral codes for his people. He was the warrior prince who founded the Khalsa fraternity, warrior guided by strict moral and ethical rules and codes, and symbol of hope, wisdom and knowledge for all the Sikh and not only.
Today the Sikh celebrate his birthday, although the rituals started three days ago, the first two days see women and men reading out loud the Guru Granth Sahib from beginning to end, non-stop for 48 hours at the Gurdwara (Sikh worship place) and this ritual reading is known as the Akhand Path. On the eve of his birthday begins a procession with dancers, musicians and gatka warriors displaying their martial arts, displayed by the Panj Pyares. Finally his birthday comes and that is today, at dawn the Asa di Var prayers are chanted which gives way to a day filled with good food, prayer and merry songs until sunset, when the Guru Gobindh Singh celebrations close with the recitation of the Rehra prayers.