Surrey, B.C., Vaisakhi parade draws Sikhs from around the world

Vibrant colors and the smell of homemade food filled the streets of Surrey on Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of people gathering for Baisakhi, some coming from thousands of kilometers away. I’m basically from India, Punjab. I feel like home. This is pretty common in India, organizers say. Suri’s Vaisakhi celebration. Be the largest in the world. Very very pleasant time for me. First time I saw the Vaisakhi like in Sari. The holy day marks the creation of the Order of the Khalsa in 1699. It’s also a time to connect with faith. The festivities are rooted in the traditions of seva and langar, 2 significant aspects of Sikhism. This is makiri roti and this sarsoka salt. It’s like still going on that tradition. We just collect monies with our own wish and then we just. You know, make stalls and then just giving free food to everyone. A chance for Surrey’s growing sick diaspora to come together to celebrate the community and culture. We have some family in Bellingham, OK might actually from Victoria. It’s it’s a big thing every year, like when it was COVID, we missed it a lot. I think it’s a beautiful thing that so much of our community has immigrated to this country and we can make such a loving environment here in this, you know, different in a new country. Maurice Katz, CBC News, Surrey.