Attending ‘Guru Nanak Gurpurab’ – A Sacred Sikh Festival.

Suzanne and I were given the great honour this week of being invited to participate in one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, Guru Nanak Gurpurab.

Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the festival celebrates his birth in 1469. It is usually held on the day of the full moon in November and he is one of ten Sikh Gurus celebrated as being responsible for shaping the beliefs of Sikhs.

We were invited to the Gurdwara in Camberley which only opened in May of this year. Previously there had been no Sikh place of worship in Surrey, and Sikhs had to travel to Slough or Reading to worship. We were made to feel so welcome by everybody and were escorted and educated by Kam Kandola and her colleagues from the outreach team. What was very evident immediately was how contemporary the Gurdwara was. Whilst observing the strict teachings and the removal of shoes and covering of heads, the feeling was very relaxed and reflected an understanding that encouraging the local community in the twenty first century to embrace religion requires a more modern approach. Anybody is welcome to visit and food is prepared all day long and offered to all. People all sit on the floor in the Langar (free kitchen) to designate that everyone is equal. The Gurdwara opens at 4am and people can attend at any time for whatever time period and as such it provides a continuous worship rather than having designated services.

The Gurdwara was created out of an old disused building which has been transformed into a vibrant community hub. The Outreach team have been keen to embrace the local community, establishing relationships with the local churches and mosque and Suzanne and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.