Thousands across the country joined the Vaisakhi celebrations organised by Gurudwaras, Sikh Forums and public bodies. Major celebrations were held at London, Manchester and Bradford.

Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year, is the holiest day of the calendar for over 20 million Sikhs worldwide. It is celebrated on 13 April each year. On this day in 1699, Sikhism was born as a collective faith. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, initiated the Sikhs as the Khalsa or the pure and sincere. He bound the Sikhs to a strict code of conduct and, with unshorn hair, beard and turban, gave the Sikhs a distinct identity.

The celebration of Vaisakhi takes the form of continuous reading of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, over a period of three days. That is followed by the recitation of sacred hymns. The service ends with a final prayer for the good and well-being of the whole of humanity, and the serving of sacramental food.

The message of Vaisakhi has particular relevance today in a multi-cultural and multi-faith Britain. Vaisakhi promotes friendship and mutual respect as the way forward. This is consistent with the command of Guru Gobind Singh Ji: "Consider the whole of humanity as one, we are all children of the One God."

(PICS: Habibur Rahman, Abubakar Malik, Richard Abraham)