 Chris Kaufman/Appeal-Democrat |
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Sikh Festival |
The 36th annual Sikh Festival begins at 8 a.m. Friday and will celebrate the anniversary of the coronation of Sikhs' holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, as the religion's living guru.
The headliner of the weekend, the Sikh Parade, starts at 11 a.m. Sunday.
But there will be an open house and a bazaar, with vendors selling clothes, jewelry, art and more, on Saturday, as well as a fireworks display starting at 8 p.m. at the Sikh Temple on Friday.
More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the event, which is claimed to be the largest single gathering in Northern California.
"It's absolutely the biggest event of the year," said John Dukes, mayor of Yuba City.
The scripture, which has 1,430 pages of the teachings of six Sikh gurus as well as selected Hindu and Sufi teachings, will be read continuously at the Sikh Temple on Tierra Buena Road throughout the weekend.
The book is also at the forefront of the other main event of the weekend, the Sikh Parade.
Non-Sikhs are welcome to attend the event, which is also expected to serve about 400,000 free, vegetarian meals over weekend.
"Everybody is welcome. The whole community is welcome all three days," said Kulwant Johl, a board member for the Sikh Temple.
"Come try the food, learn something about the religion and meet the Sikh community." The internationally attended event puts Yuba City on the map, Dukes said.
"Tourists come and see our community, and then go back and talk about it," Dukes said. "It's a great PR thing for our city."
What to know logistically
The Sikh Parade starts at 11 a.m. Sunday. The 4.5-mile route will begin at the Sikh Temple at 2468 Tierra Buena Road, Yuba City.
The parade will move from Tierra Buena Road and head east on Butte House Road. It will turn south on Civic Center Road, head west on Poole Boulevard before turning north on Tharp Road. The parade will then rejoin Butte House Road and return to the temple.
Parking for the parade will be available at River Valley High School at 801 El Margarita Road. Up to twenty-five buses will provide continuous service from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. between River Valley High School and the intersection of Hooper Road and True Road, just a short walk from the temple site.
The first bus will depart from the high school at 8 a.m., and the last bus will depart from the Hooper and True stop at 6:30 p.m. From the high school, passengers will board in the small visitor parking lot on Spirit Way between Harter Parkway and El Margarita Road just south of Colusa Highway.
All-weather parking is available in both the west and east high school lots along Spirit Way, and overflow parking is available nearby. Changeable message signs on Highway 20 will direct visitors to the pick-up location at the high school, where staff will be standing by to assist.
Drivers should expect heavy traffic congestion and street closures on Sunday, according to the Yuba City Police Department:
- Colusa Frontage Road east of George Washington Boulevard will be closed east- and westbound.
- Butte House Road from Hooper Road to Tharp Road will be closed.
- Tierra Buena Road from Butte House Road to Pease Road will be closed.
- Harter Road north of Colusa Highway will be bus traffic only.
- Other portions of the parade route will be closed as necessary.
For any traffic questions, call the Yuba City Police Traffic unit at 822-4795.
Unrest in Punjab leads to ban of Akali Dal Badal
While tens of thousands are expected to attend this weekend's Sikh Festival, there will be several notable absences.
Organizers of the festival from the Sikh Temple announced members and associates of Akali Dal Badal, the ruling political party in Punjab, India, are banned from speaking from the temple stage or entering a float in the parade.
The ban is the result of the party's handling of a recent desecration of the Sikh's holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, said Kulwant Johl, a Sikh Temple board member.
Pieces of the text were found ripped from the book and scattered across the streets of several villages in Punjab. The act sparked widespread protests, which have, at times, brought the agricultural state in Northern India to a halt.
"The Sikhs right now don't agree with their policies," Johl said. "The party did not pay any attention to (the desecration) or find out who did it. That started all of this."
The temple also banned the PTC Channel, an Indian news channel owned by Punjabi Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Johl said.
"They are just telling his side of the story," Johl said. "They are acting like (the desecration) never happened."
Johl said the boycotts likely will not affect the festival this weekend.
"People are mad, but they're mad at the Akali Dal party in Punjab, they're not mad at anyone here," Johl said.