Prayers, singing, balloon releases, fireworks, and lots of delicious treats were all part of the Viasakhi flag raising ceremonies and celebrations held at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple Saturday afternoon.
During the ceremony the Khalsa flag of the Sikh religion is lowered and replaced with a new flag. The pole itself is washed and re-wrapped with a colourful gold cloth cover.
Before the flag ceremony visitors and congregation members gathered in the community kitchen for tea with traditional sweet treats. After the ceremonies everyone went back inside again for dinner and ice-cream cake.
The three-day celebration of the founding of the Sikh faith includes the continuous reading aloud of the Sikh holy book Sri-Gur Granth Sahib by rotating members of the congregation. The reading starts early Friday morning and ends early Sunday morning, followed by prayers in the sanctuary and ending the festival with a communal lunch.
This year the congregation welcomed participation by three visiting priests from India, Baljinder Singh, Kalvinder Singh and Jagir Sing who held prayers at the temple in the evenings during the week prior to Vaisakhi and during the celebration weekend which took place at the temple May 5 to 7.