Large crowd expected for Vaisakhi parade

The streets of Surrey will be packed on Saturday for the annual Vaisakhi parade that celebrates the Sikh New Year and harvest festival.

The parade begins around 9 a.m. at Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar at 12885 85th Ave. Environment Canada is forecasting showers and highs of 12 C, so consider bringing an umbrella, or even better, a head covering, which is required when visiting a gurdwara (place of worship).

Vaisakhi is a harvest festival that originated in the Punjab, but is celebrated in many countries.

Organizers expect more than 300,000 people to attend this year, making it one of the largest Vaisakhi celebrations outside of India. The City of Surrey is reminding people to expect traffic disruptions and some temporary parking restrictions.

It costs nothing to eat at Vaisakhi, where local residents and business owners line the sidewalks with langar — sweets and snacks for all. Langar is based on the common kitchens in gurdwaras, where Sikhs demonstrate equality by sitting on the floor to eat with all people, regardless of their caste, creed, religion, race or sex.

The five Ks of the Khalsa: Kesh, unshorn hair symbolizing the acceptance of God’s will; kangha, a wooden comb representing self-discipline; kara, an iron or steel bracelet signifying oneness and eternity of God, and using one’s hands to benefit humanity; kachhera, a cotton undergarment representing high moral character and restraint; and kirpan, representing a sword, worn sheathed in a cloth belt, signifying a Sikh’s duty to stand up against injustice.