It was a shared, colourful day without sorrow for Windsor's Sikh community.
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| Windsor's Sikh community celebrate Vaishakhi, an ancient harvest festival commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699, at the Windsor Armouries in downtown Windsor, Sunday, May 15, 2011. Photograph by: DAX MELMER, The Windsor Star |
About a thousand people turned out despite sporadic rain to celebrate Khalsa Day, pouring through the downtown core in a colourful parade. But the day was about more than celebrating 312 years since the official start of the concept of Khalsa.
"On these special days we want to come out and share these special values, to make the world a sorrowless place where everyone is equal," said Harjinder Singh, general secretary of the Sikh Cultural Society of Metropolitan Windsor.
He said the day is about giving the community a glimpse of Sikh values and making positive contributions to the community. And he called the parade an example of Windsor's cultural diversity.
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"We should work together against all kinds of inequalities, whether it's race, whether it's gender, whether it's colour, and work together for a world that's without sorrow."
The ceremonies wound down at the downtown armouries, where people crowded inside to escape the rain.
Society treasure Gurbax Singh Wahid said the turnout was remarkable despite miserable weather.
"I can see the enthusiasm in the youth," he said. "They want to get out."
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