🪔 Guru Nanak Jayanti (Prakash Purab / Gurpurab) 2026
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of Sikhism, on Kartik Purnima — Akhand Path, Prabhat Pheri, Nagar Kirtan and langar.
Guru Nanak Jayanti — called Gurpurab or Prakash Purab — is the biggest festival of the Sikh faith. By tradition Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi ki Talwandi (today Nankana Sahib, Pakistan); in the Nanakshahi tradition the festival falls on Kartik Purnima — the same full moon on which the Hindu calendar marks Kartik Purnima / Dev Deepawali.
For the diaspora — especially the Sikh communities of Canada, the UK, the USA and Australia — it is the largest community event of the year: a 48-hour Akhand Path in the gurdwaras, Nagar Kirtan processions through the city, and langar for everyone. The date at the top is the Purnima worked out for your city's local time.
Significance — why this vrat
Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught 'Ik Onkar' — one God, the equality of all — and 'Naam Japo, Kirat Karo, Vand Chhako' (remember the Name, earn honestly, share what you have). Prakash Purab is the day to renew that message.
On Gurpurab the Akhand Path (unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib) begins two days earlier and concludes on the morning of the festival; kirtan, katha and ardas follow. It is not a household fast but a festival of the sangat, the community.
Langar — everyone eating together in one row without distinction — is the heart of the day; the big gurdwaras abroad feed thousands, and in many cities the Nagar Kirtan is joined by local authorities.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
Not a puja procedure but the order of the celebration — joining the sangat at the gurdwara.
- The Akhand Path begins at the gurdwara two days before the festival — sit in or listen to one of the reading sessions if you can.
- Early morning Prabhat Pheri — singing shabads through the neighbourhood; many diaspora communities hold it between homes on the weekend.
- Go to the gurdwara — head covered, shoes outside, hands and feet washed; bow before the Guru Granth Sahib and receive karah prasad.
- Listen to kirtan and katha; join the ardas; if a Nagar Kirtan goes out, walk with the sangat behind the Panj Pyare.
- Do seva — help cook, serve or wash up in the langar; that is held to be the truest devotion of the day.
- In the evening light lamps at home and at the gurdwara; read or tell the family the sakhis (life stories) of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Puja samagri checklist
Nothing special is needed from home — devotion and a spirit of service; a practical list below.
- A scarf/chunni to cover the head (required in the gurdwara)
- An offering for langar/karah prasad — flour, ghee, sugar, lentils or money (ask what the gurdwara needs)
- Lamps/candles and string lights for the home
- A book or pictures of Guru Nanak's sakhis for the children
- Plain, comfortable clothes for langar seva
- Abroad: the time and route of your city's Nagar Kirtan — from the gurdwara notice
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Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 at Talwandi to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta. From childhood he was drawn to the company of saints and to contemplation; the sakhi of the 'Sacha Sauda' is famous — with the twenty rupees his father gave him for trade he fed hungry ascetics, saying that this was the true bargain.
📖 Read the full Guru Nanak Jayanti (Prakash Purab / Gurpurab) vrat katha →
Karah prasad and langar
At the gurdwara karah prasad (a halwa of flour, ghee and sugar in equal parts) is given to all after the ardas. Langar is simple, sattvik food — dal, vegetables, roti, rice, kheer — eaten together in one row.
- Karah prasad (flour, desi ghee, sugar — 1:1:1)
- Langar: dal, vegetables, roti/rice, kheer
- At home: kheer, Punjabi sweets (pinni, laddoo)
- Tea with pakoras/halwa after the Prabhat Pheri — local custom
Regional customs
The celebration differs a little between India and the diaspora —
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
✅ Received — after reading we will add it on this page in 1-2 days. Thank you!Something went wrong — please try again.⏳ Sending…Do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Cover your head in the gurdwara, leave shoes outside, keep quiet
- Lend a hand in seva — cooking, serving, cleaning
- Receive karah prasad with both hands joined; do not leave any
- Donate according to the gurdwara's need — groceries, money or time
- Tell the children the sakhis of Guru Nanak Dev Ji — let the meaning reach them
❌ Don't
- Tobacco, alcohol and intoxicants — strictly forbidden in the gurdwara
- No distinction of caste, faith or rank in the langar, and no asking to sit apart
- Do not sit with your back to the Guru Granth Sahib or stretch your feet towards it
- No showy feasts or fireworks contests — simplicity is the spirit
- Do not ignore traffic/volunteer instructions at the Nagar Kirtan
Frequently asked questions
When is Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2026?
The date at the top is this year's Kartik Purnima, worked out from the local sunrise and moonrise of your city; abroad it can differ from India by a day, so also check your gurdwara's announcement.
Is Guru Nanak Jayanti always on Kartik Purnima?
In the prevailing Nanakshahi tradition, yes — which is why it falls on a changing date in October–November each year. Some scholars place the birth in Vaisakh, but the public festival is kept on Kartik Purnima.
What is the difference between Gurpurab and Prakash Purab?
None — Gurpurab (the Guru's festival) and Prakash Purab (prakash = birth, light) are two names for the same day. On Kartik Purnima the Hindu calendar also has Dev Deepawali, so in north India both celebrations light up the same evening.
I am not Sikh — may I visit the gurdwara and eat langar?
Yes, everyone is welcome — cover your head, leave shoes outside and sit in the row with everyone for langar. That is the very message of the festival.
When is the Nagar Kirtan held abroad?
Usually on the weekend (Sunday) nearest the festival — check your local gurdwara committee's notice; on the date itself the gurdwara holds the bhog of the Akhand Path and the diwan.
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Also read: Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) · Dev Uthani Ekadashi · Festival calendar
⚠️ This description follows traditional observance and community custom; your own family/gurdwara practice comes first.
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