Kelowna Vaisakhi Parade & Map

by Jas khunkhun

EXPERIENCE SOME CULTURE

2023 OFFICIAL VAISAKHI PARADE MAP

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When: April 29 2023, 11am to 2pm

Where: Rutland Road, Kelowna BC

Kelowna Sikh Temple, 1111 Rutland Rd. North

Presented by the Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society

The City of Kelowna is rich in culture and diversity.  Kelowna is  truly now an international city.  In fact, 1 of every 7 kelowna area residents is an immigrant to canada, new data from the 2021 Census shows.  In the central okanagan, 14.4 % of residents are from another country.

Almost one out of every five recent immigrants,18.6 percent, were born in India, making it the leading country of birth for recent immigration to Canada, Statistics Canada says. There are a lot of new Kelowna Punjabi speaking community members  and they are usually either students, or here on a work permit, or are business people from the province of Punjab India.

 

So lets take a look at a recent cultural event taking place from this community, the Kelowna Vaisakhi Parade held by the Kelowna Punjabi Community.

 

What is Vaisakhi (pronounced also as "Baisakhi") Parade ?  

This event is open to all ages and everyone is welcome to attend ! 

This parade's origin  is celebrating the harvest season in Punjab, India and is celebrated every year in April.  This festival is most  popular in the Northern Indian States, especially in Punjab & Haryana. In general, Vaisakhi is all about energetic folk dance and songs, mouth-watering homemade sweets, a gathering of local folks in a fair or a parade. 

It is a  Celebration day  for the farmers who throughout the year put their strenuous efforts into farming, and with God’s blessings, they get the desired results as healthy crops. The purpose of this festival is to say thanks to God and celebrate the success of farmers.

Vaisakhi also marks the birth of the “Khalsa,” so it is also celebrated as a religious festival by the Sikhs as well. Vaisakhi is also a fantastic day for the Hindu religion, and Hindus religiously celebrate this festival.

 

VAISAKHI PARADE ROUTE