The crowd throws flower petals as the Panj Piare come out of the gurdwara at the start of the Vaisakhi procession in Woolwich
Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi) is a Sikh New Year festival in April that commemorates the foundation of the Khalsa (The Pure Ones) by the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh in give Sikhs a distinctinve identity and set of principles. The procession is lead by Khalsa bearing the Sikh flag and five men carrying swords representing the initial 'Panj Piare' (Beloved Five.) Behind them the Guru Granth Sahib - the Sikh holy book and successor to Guru Gobind Singh. The Woolwich Vaisakhi procession goes between the two Sikh temples, Calderwood Gurdwara and Mason's Hill Gurdwara, both built in the nineteenth century as non-conformist chapels. During the 2008 procession in Woolwich there was a spell of torrential rain, but the procession continued, although some of those following it took shelter with me for a few minutes.
Size: 5040px × 3374px
Location: Woolwich, London, England, UK
Photo credit: © Peter Marshall / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: baisakhi, beloved, crowd, flower, garlands, gurdwara, khalsa, kirtan, london, nagar, panj, petals, piare, punjabi, sikh, swords, temple, vaisakhi, woolwich, year
