‘It’s just awesome’: Saskatoon celebrates Nagar Kirtan

(Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

Over 10,000 people made their way to Saskatoon’s Lions Century Park on Sunday to celebrate Nagar Kirtan.

The Sikh Day Parade is an opportunity for those in the community to gather, worship, sing, and celebrate their faith.

“We commonly get together, share values. And every person is more than welcome without any cast or creed, and everybody is celebrating this culture,” Balpreet Singh, President of Sikh Temple West, Saskatoon, said.

While the parade day is celebrated across the globe, this particular event has been recurring annually in Saskatoon since 2017.

“It feels great; it’s just awesome how people can come together and make this event a success. Everything you see here is volunteer based. All the food stalls are free, and that’s an amazing part of it,” Jagmeet Bajwa, one of the event organizers, said.

A major part of the celebration is the Guru Granth Sahib Procession, which features the holy scripture of Sikhism carried on an elaborately decorated float and paraded through the community.

Bajwa shared that this emphasizes the focus of the day on the core values and beliefs of Sikhism.

“When people go home today, they will take away a memory or lesson, or they will just remember the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib,” Bajwa said.

Singh said this day is something many people in the Sikh community look forward to every year.

“People are very excited. There are religious activities, there are cultural activities... free food served. And everybody enjoys the day; it’s a nice summer day today,” Singh said.

Many of those in attendance are far from home. Bajwa added that this is one of the many reasons being able to gather as a community is especially important around the parade day.

“It’s important to make them feel at home when they are far away from their dear ones. This is driven by brotherhood, so that’s why it’s very important,” Bajwa said.