April is Sikh Heritage Month!

April is Sikh Heritage Month!

This month, we celebrate Sikh culture and heritage and honour the important contributions of Sikh community members to our social, economic, political and cultural lives.

Sikhism is one of the world’s youngest religions but is the fifth largest religion in the world. The first wave of settlers who were Sikh arrived in Canada in the early 1900s. Today, Canada has the second largest diaspora of people who are Sikh in the World!

Sikh Heritage Month was first established in Ontario in 2013 and then in Canada in 2019. April was chosen because it is the time that Sikh people observe Vaisakhi, which commemorates the creation of the Khalsa and Sikh articles of faith. Vaisakhi (sometimes spelt Baisakhi) may also be called Khalsa Sanja Diwas. In Chatham-Kent, Vaisakhi is being honoured with a Nagar Kirtan, a Sikh religious parade, on May 4th, 2025 (rescheduled from April 20 due to Easter holiday weekend). This public event is open to people from all communities in the surrounding area to get a taste of Sikh culture and celebrate. See the posters at the bottom of this post for more information.

Happy Vaisakhi to community members honouring this important time in Chatham-Kent!

Learn More:

Find information about local ethno-cultural communities on the Living CK website.

Learn about the history of Sikhs in Canada from:

Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada

Sikh Research Institute

Early Concepts (resources for educators)

Sikh National Archives of Canada

Learn about Sikhism and other religions in the workplace from Encounter World Religions.

Sikhism in Canada from Wikipedia

Peel Art Gallery Museum + Archives (PAMA)

Thank you to members of the Sikh Cultural Society Chatham-Kent for reviewing the contents of this post.

For more information about the Sikh Cultural Society Chatham-Kent or the Nagar Kirtan on May 4th, contact the Society at 519.784.1748 or gudwarachathamkent@gmail.com or Dr. Bidhi Singh Bains 519.351.8043 bidhi_bains@hotmail.com