Did you know it’s Guru Nanak’s Birthday next week?

As his birthday approaches, we learn why Sikhs celebrate Guru Nanak’s life… 

Who is Guru Nanak?
Guru Nanak was a wise man who founded Sikhism. Guru Nanak is considered the first Sikh Guru.

What is the story of Guru Nanak?
Guru Nanak was born in 1469. When he was 30 he mysteriously disappeared for three days. When he reappeared, he began to preach the Sikh faith.

He spent the rest of his life teaching, writing and travelling around the world to discuss religion with Muslims and Hindus.

What does the word Gurpurab mean?
The word ‘Gurpurab’ is a mixture of the word Guru, which means ‘teacher’, and Purab which means ‘Festival’ or ‘Celebration’ in Punjabi.

When is Guru Nanak Gurpurab?
Sikhs have lots of Gurpurabs each year to celebrate the lives of the ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak Gurpurab is the most special one because Nanak was the founder of Sikhism.

Guru Nanak Gurpurab is in November or December every year in line with the lunar phase. This year it takes place on Tuesday 12 November.