On March 10, 2020 ‘Hola Mohalla’ is the annual Sikh festival celebrated on the following day of the festival Holi at Sri Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. The festival will be celebrated for 3 days from March 10 to 12, 2020. Hola Mahalla begins on the first day of the lunar month of Chet in the Nanakshahi calendar and follows the Hindu festival of colours, Holi. Guru Gobind Singh started this festival as a day for Sikhs to practise their military exercises and hold mock battles. The festival aims to physically strengthen Sikh community by holding acrobatic military exercises and mock battles.
Key Points:
i.Hola Mohalla: The festival holds an annual fair which was initiated by Guru Gobind Singh ji, the 10th sikh guru.
ii.In this festival, the Sikh community performs wrestling, mock sword fights, turban tying, bareback horseriding, standing erect on two speeding horses, tent pigging etc., which is then followed by the music and poetry competition.
iii.On the third day of the celebration a long procession will be led by Panj Pyaras (collective name given to 5 Sikh men), which starts from Takth Keshgarh Sahib & passes through various important gurudwaras like Quila Anandgarh, Lohgarh Sahib, Mata Jito Ji and ends at the Takht.