Yellowknife's Sikh community turned a gym into space for prayer to celebrate Vaisakhi

Members of Yellowknife's growing Sikh community gathered to celebrate Vaisakhi this weekend, transforming a gym at the city's multiplex sports facility into a space for prayer on Saturday.

The annual harvest festival of Vaisakhi is one of the holiest days in the Sikh calendar.

For Sikhs, the festival marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the faith its final form. But it's also an opportunity to come together, with large events acting as opportunities for people from different communities to meet and celebrate. 

Also called Khalsa Sajna Diwas, the holiday is usually celebrated in mid-April, but Yellowknife's celebration is a bit later because of the time it took to find a space and get everything ready.

"We are a bit late, but at last we are celebrating so we are happy for that," said Mangot Kaur, who helped organize the event.

Kaur said it was a lot of work getting the gym ready for the event, but many volunteers helped.

"They all came together and worked really hard to make this place look like this," she said. 

There were prayers in the gym in the afternoon and evening, with some of the prayers read by gursikhs who flew in from Vancouver to lead hymns. There was also a food drive outside, with volunteers serving homemade vegetarian food free to anyone who passed by, another important tradition on Vaisakhi.

"These events are really important for us so we can get together, united, and celebrate our values," said attendee Dawinder Kaur, (no relation) who moved to Yellowknife a year and a half ago.

She said it was hard to adjust to her new home at first, but events like this where she can observe her religion in community make it easier.

Yellowknife's Sikh population has grown a lot in the last few years, says Pankaj Sohi Seth, and events like this help the community come together.

"We moved in 2012 to Yellowknife from Vancouver, and it was a big change to us. In the beginning, we actually started doing prayers in our own houses," she said, with the few Sikh families hosting in turn. 

But a few years ago, they started renting a hall from a church or other space once a year. They now try and hold celebrations like Saturday's two or three times a year, Sohi Seth said.

But without a permanent Gurdwara, the community isn't able to come together and pray as much as they would like. 

Sohi Seth said she and others are working to bring a Gurdwara to Yellowknife, but the the project is still in the early stages.

They are currently in the process of registering a Yellowknife Sikh Sangat society as a non-profit. Once this is done, she said, they will begin the work of fundraising for a Gurdawara.

Dawinder Kaur said for her, a Gurdwara in Yellowknife would be more than just a building.

"It's not about going somewhere out, it's about inner peace, to give something to my soul."