Yuba City, known as the first Punjabi village in the US, is all set for the annual Sikh Parade next week.
Home to the descendants of the earliest Indian immigrants to the US, Yuba City, near the California capital of Sacramento, is famous for its annual Sikh Parade and Sikh Farmers. Over 100,000 Sikhs from around the world England, Canada, New York, India are expected to attend the 30th anniversary of the parade this week on Sunday November 1.
The parade is organized to mark the day of the installation of the Sikh scripture of the Guru Granth. The festivities will begin Friday (Oct 30) with the start of the non-stop recitation of the holy book at the city's main Sikh Temple in the morning. The evening will end with a spectacular display of fireworks to be attended by main leaders of the city.
"It is the Sikh way of saying thank-you to the local community,'' said Balraj Singh Dhillon, president of the Sikh Temple.
The next day, the Sikh community will hold an 'Open House' with elected officials, dignitaries and ordinary citizens.
"We will present Cultural Safari, is a 17-minute video, to educate leaders, school children, teachers and administrators about what it means to be a Sikh American,'' said city surgeon Jasbir Singh Kang.
Sikh scholar I.J. Singh, who has written many books on Sikhism from a western perspective, will also enlighten the audience about the Sikh religion.
Upon the completion of its non-stop reading (or akhand path), the holy Granth will be installed on a lavishly decorated float and take through the streets of Yuba City.
Thousands are expected to follow the holy book in a procession.
The organizers said 50 floats depicting Sikh history and culture will be part of the parade, expected to extend up to four and a half miles.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the parade, the Sikh community has decided to launch a "massive'' food drive to collect food items for the poor and needy.
"As part of our food drive, 350,000 meals will be prepared and distributed to the needy to show our tradition of caring and sharing,'' said Sodhi Dhami. For more information log on to
www.sikhparade.comSchedule of Events
Friday, October 30th, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 pm Fireworks Show
Sikh Temple — 2468 Tierra Buena Road — Yuba City, CA
Friday morning at 8 a.m. starts the traditional 48 hours of prayer ending with the Parade on Sunday. At 8 p.m., the entire community is treated to an evening fireworks show and free dinner. It’s the Sikh way of showing appreciation.
Saturday, October 31st Open House & Reception from 12 Noon to 1:30 pm
Sikh Temple — 2468 Tierra Buena Road — Yuba City, CA
There will be a showing of the movie, Cultural Safari, starting at 12:30 pm, followed by a short presentation to elected officials and dignitaries. Keynote speaker starting at 12:55 pm will be Dr. I.J. Singh from N.Y.U. Dr. Singh is a frequent speaker on interfaith issues. He is a professor at New York University and a writer of several books on Sikhism from a western perspective and a scholar of Sikhism.
Sunday, November 1st, 11:00 am – 8 pm 30th Annual Sikh Parade
75,000 people are expected for the four-mile long parade that starts at the Sikh Temple at 11:00 in the morning and ends at the Sikh Temple at approximately 4 pm. As the parade ends, visitors will make their way to the Temple grounds for free food, drinks and entertainment. The event concludes at approximately 8 p.m.
About the 30th Annual Sikh Parade
Sikhs return to Yuba City each year during the first weekend in November to celebrate the commemoration of the receipt of the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Scriptures) in 1708, presented by the Sikhs tenth and final Guru (spiritual teacher) as a perpetual spiritual guide. The weekend begins on Friday morning with the traditional 48 hours of prayer and the reading of scripture from the Guru Granth Sahib and ends with the four-mile long parade through the streets of Yuba City on Sunday.
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