Guru Nanak

Feast days

• Guru Nanak Gurpurab (Parkash Purab)24 November 2026

  Guru Nanak's birth anniversary, also called Parkash Purab, kept on the full moon of the lunar month Katak (Kartik) by the SGPC and most gurdwaras. It is the same celebration as the next entry.

  How it's celebrated. Gurdwaras usually hold an Akhand Path beforehand. A Nagar Kirtan procession is held the day before, led by the Panj Piare with the Guru Granth Sahib in a palanquin. On the day, the diwan begins around 4–5 a.m. with Asa di Var and hymns, followed by Ardas, Karah Parshad and langar. The Akal Takht in Amritsar is lit up.

  Sources: SGPC: Gurpurabs and Guru Nanak's birthday · Wikipedia: Guru Nanak Gurpurab

• Guru Nanak Gurpurab (Katak Puranmashi)14 November 2027

  Guru Nanak's birth anniversary, known as Parkash Purab or Guru Nanak Jayanti, kept on Katak Puranmashi, the full moon of Katak. It is the same celebration as the previous entry, seen here in its worldwide form.

  How it's celebrated. Sikhs mark it worldwide with kirtan, langar and Nagar Kirtan processions, including a large one in Yuba City, California each November and others in Britain. In the days before, gurdwaras may hold early-morning prabhat pheris. At home, families often light divas, make sweets and read sakhis. Some pilgrims try to visit Nankana Sahib, the birthplace.

  Sources: Sikhism.net.in: Sikh Holidays and Observances · Maastarji: Guru Nanak's Parkash Purab at Home · PastPaperHero: Gurpurb celebrations in India and Great Britain

• Guru Nanak Gurpurab on the original Nanakshahi calendar14 April, every year

  The original (Mool) Nanakshahi calendar of Pal Singh Purewal marks Guru Nanak's birth on a fixed solar date, 1 Vaisakh (14 April), instead of Katak Puranmashi. Some Sikh bodies keep this date in place of the full-moon one.

  How it's celebrated. Supporters hold that the older janamsakhis place the birth in Vaisakh, and that the Katak date came into use later. Little is recorded about rites specific to this date. Because it is a solar date, it falls on the same day as Vaisakhi in the original calendar. The SGPC's own pages give 15 April 1469 as the birth date but keep the Katak full-moon celebration.

  Sources: Mool Nanakshahi Calendar: Guru Nanak Sahib Ji · Mool Nanakshahi Calendar: The Nanakshahi Calendar · Sikhizm: Nanakshahi Calendar Explained

• Joti Jot of Guru Nanak Dev Ji22 September, every year (date to be confirmed)

  Joti Jot, the anniversary of Guru Nanak's passing at Kartarpur. Sikhs believe his light merged into the eternal light, after he had installed Guru Angad as his successor.

  How it's celebrated. The Gregorian date of 22 September is the one the original Nanakshahi calendar uses. The SGPC's lunar date moves each year. At Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, observances have included an Akhand Path with its bhog and a Nagar Kirtan. In 2024, plants were sown under a "Kheti Sahib" initiative, and dates from the local harvest were given out as prasad.

  Sources: SikhNet: Celebration of Guru Nanak in Modern Reality · Business Recorder: Joti Jot commemoration concludes at Kartarpur · Hindustan Times: Akal Takht jathedar in Pak to mark Joti Jot