Happy Vaisakhi 2027: Wishes in Punjabi, What the Day Means, and How It's Celebrated From Amritsar to Surrey
Happy Vaisakhi in Punjabi is Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ). Vaisakhi falls on Wednesday 14 April 2027: the Punjabi new year, the wheat harvest festival, and the day Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699. Fifteen wishes with Gurmukhi and pronunciation, Khalsa Sajna Divas greetings, the Nagar Kirtan, bhangra, what to wear and eat, and the Surrey and Southall celebrations.
"Happy Vaisakhi" in Punjabi is Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ) or Vaisakhi mubarak (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ); to Sikhs you can also say Khalsa Sajna Divas diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan, congratulations on the founding day of the Khalsa. Vaisakhi (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ, also spelled Baisakhi) falls on Wednesday 14 April 2027 and is three festivals in one: the Punjabi solar new year, the spring wheat harvest, and the anniversary of the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib. It is the biggest day in the Punjabi calendar, from the melas of Punjab to the half-million-strong parade in Surrey, British Columbia. Here are the wishes, the meaning, and how to join in.
Vaisakhi Wishes in Punjabi
| Wish | Gurmukhi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan | ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ | Happy Vaisakhi (vi-SAA-khee dee-AAN lukh lukh vuh-DHAA-ee-aan) |
| Vaisakhi mubarak | ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ | Happy Vaisakhi (short) |
| Khalsa Sajna Divas diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan | ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਸਾਜਨਾ ਦਿਵਸ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ | Congratulations on the Khalsa's founding day (to Sikhs) |
| Tuhanu te tuhade parivaar nu Vaisakhi diyan vadhaaiyan | ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਤੇ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ | Happy Vaisakhi to you and your family |
| Eh Vaisakhi tuhade ghar khushiyan te barkataan liaave | ਇਹ ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਘਰ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਬਰਕਤਾਂ ਲਿਆਵੇ | May this Vaisakhi bring joy and blessings to your home |
| Nave saal diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan | ਨਵੇਂ ਸਾਲ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ | Happy New Year — Vaisakhi is the Punjabi new year |
| Rabb tuhadi mehnat nu barkat deve | ਰੱਬ ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਨੂੰ ਬਰਕਤ ਦੇਵੇ | May God bless your hard work (the harvest wish) |
| Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh | ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ | The Khalsa greeting — especially fitting on this day |
| Chardi kala vich raho | ਚੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਕਲਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹੋ | Stay in ever-rising spirits |
| Jatta aayi Vaisakhi! | ਜੱਟਾ ਆਈ ਵਿਸਾਖੀ! | "Farmer, Vaisakhi has come!" — the old harvest cry |
| Happy Vaisakhi ji! | ਹੈਪੀ ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਜੀ! | What most messages say |
To reply: Tuhanu vi lakh lakh vadhaaiyan, or return the Khalsa greeting word for word.
What Vaisakhi Means
| Vaisakhi is… | Why | Punjabi |
|---|---|---|
| The harvest festival | The winter wheat (kanak) is ripe; farmers thank God before the vaadi (reaping) begins. Bhangra started as the dance of this harvest. | ਵਾਢੀ ਦਾ ਤਿਉਹਾਰ |
| The Punjabi new year | The first day of Vaisakh in the solar calendar — 13 or 14 April each year; the Nanakshahi calendar fixes it on 14 April. | ਨਵਾਂ ਸਾਲ |
| Khalsa Sajna Divas | On Vaisakhi 1699 at Anandpur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh initiated the first five Sikhs — the Panj Pyare — with amrit, created the Khalsa, and gave Sikhs the names Singh and Kaur. | ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਸਾਜਨਾ ਦਿਵਸ |
| A day of remembrance | On 13 April 1919 British troops fired on an unarmed Vaisakhi gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar; the massacre is commemorated every year alongside the celebrations. | ਜਲ੍ਹਿਆਂਵਾਲਾ ਬਾਗ਼ |
The founding of the Khalsa is why Vaisakhi is the Sikh festival above all others, and why so many Amrit Sanchar (initiation) ceremonies are held on the day. For the story of the names it gave Sikhs, see Singh and Kaur meaning; for the words — Khalsa, Panj Pyare, Nishan Sahib — Sikh prayer and gurdwara words.
How Vaisakhi Is Celebrated
| Tradition | Punjabi | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Street procession | Nagar Kirtan ਨਗਰ ਕੀਰਤਨ | The Guru Granth Sahib is carried on a decorated float behind the Panj Pyare, with kirtan, gatka displays and free food along the whole route |
| Renewing the flag | Nishan Sahib di sewa ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ | The gurdwara's flagpole is lowered, washed with milk and water, and dressed in a new saffron cloth |
| Initiation | Amrit Sanchar ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਚਾਰ | Sikhs take amrit and join the Khalsa, as the first five did in 1699 |
| Gurdwara | Akhand Path, kirtan, langar | A 48-hour reading ends on the morning; kirtan and katha all day; langar for thousands |
| Fairs | Mela ਮੇਲਾ | Village and town fairs with wrestling, kabaddi, dhol and stalls — the great melas are at Talwandi Sabo and Anandpur Sahib |
| Dancing | Bhangra te gidda ਭੰਗੜਾ ਤੇ ਗਿੱਧਾ | The harvest dances, in basanti (saffron-yellow) and bright colours |
| In Pakistan | Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal | Sikh pilgrims cross the border for Vaisakhi at Gurdwara Panja Sahib |
Vaisakhi in Surrey, Southall and Beyond
The largest Vaisakhi celebration outside India is in Surrey, British Columbia, where the Nagar Kirtan has been put at 400,000 to 500,000 people by organisers and police — a whole city eating free food on the street. Vancouver's parade is the week before or after; Toronto and Brampton fill Malton and downtown; in the UK, Southall's Sri Guru Singh Sabha and the gurdwaras of Birmingham, Leicester and Gravesend hold Nagar Kirtans on the nearest weekend; in the US, Fresno, Los Angeles, New York and Yuba City all parade. Schools in Canada and the UK increasingly mark the day, and colleagues will say it to each other — so learn the greeting, wear something yellow, and go to the Nagar Kirtan: nobody will let you leave hungry. Dress and gurdwara rules are in gurdwara etiquette; the dates for every other festival in the Punjabi festival calendar 2027.
Vaisakhi Vocabulary
| English | Punjabi | Gurmukhi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaisakhi (also Baisakhi) | Vaisakhi | ਵਿਸਾਖੀ | vi-SAA-khee |
| Wheat / crop / harvesting | Kanak / fasal / vaadi | ਕਣਕ / ਫ਼ਸਲ / ਵਾਢੀ | KUN-uk / FUS-ul / VAA-dhee |
| The Khalsa | Khalsa | ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ | KHAAL-saa |
| The five beloved ones | Panj Pyare | ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ | punj pi-AA-ray |
| Initiation (nectar) | Amrit Sanchar | ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸੰਚਾਰ | um-rit sun-CHAAR |
| The Sikh flag | Nishan Sahib | ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਸਾਹਿਬ | ni-SHAAN SAA-hib |
| Procession | Nagar Kirtan | ਨਗਰ ਕੀਰਤਨ | NUG-ur KEER-tun |
| Fair | Mela | ਮੇਲਾ | MAY-laa |
| Saffron-yellow | Basanti | ਬਸੰਤੀ | ba-SUN-tee |
| Drum / folk dances | Dhol / bhangra / gidda | ਢੋਲ / ਭੰਗੜਾ / ਗਿੱਧਾ | dhol / BHUN-gdaa / GID-dhaa |
| Kabaddi (the village sport) | Kabaddi | ਕਬੱਡੀ | ka-BUD-dee |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say happy Vaisakhi in Punjabi?
Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ) or Vaisakhi mubarak. To Sikhs, Khalsa Sajna Divas diyan lakh lakh vadhaaiyan or the greeting Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
When is Vaisakhi in 2027?
Wednesday 14 April 2027. Vaisakhi falls on 13 or 14 April each year; the Nanakshahi calendar fixes it on 14 April. Diaspora parades are usually held on the nearest weekend.
Why do Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi?
On Vaisakhi 1699 Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib, initiating the first five Sikhs and giving Sikhs the names Singh and Kaur — so the day is Khalsa Sajna Divas, the birthday of the Sikh community as it exists today, as well as the harvest festival and new year.
Is it Vaisakhi or Baisakhi?
Both. Vaisakhi (ਵਿਸਾਖੀ) is the Punjabi pronunciation and the usual spelling among Sikhs and in Punjab; Baisakhi is the Hindi form common in the rest of India. They are the same festival.
Celebrate Vaisakhi in Punjabi
The biggest day of the year deserves more than Happy Vaisakhi ji. Alfaazo teaches everyday Punjabi with native audio, the Gurmukhi script and bite-sized lessons you can finish in five minutes a day. Free on iOS and Android.
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