Home»Story : Hola Mahalla

Hola Mohalla is a one day Sikh festival which takes place on the second day of the lunar month of Chett and most often falls in March, and sometimes coincides with the Sikh New Year. This is a tradition established by Guru Gobind Singh, follows the Hindu festival of Holi by one day. The fair held at Anandpur Sahib, Panjab is traditionally a three day event but participants attend Anandpur Sahib for a week, camping out and enjoying various displays of fighting prowess and bravery, and listening to kirtan and poetry. For meals, which is an integral part of the Sikh institution (Gurdwara), visitors sit together in Pangats (Queues) and eat vegetarian food of the Langars. Langars (voluntary community kitchens) are organized by the local people as a part of sewa (community service). The event concludes on the day of Hola Mohalla with a long, military-style procession near Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five Sikh religious seats. Together the words "Hola mohalla" stands for "mock fight". The participants perform daring feats, such as Gatka (mock encounters with real weapons), tent pegging, bareback horse-riding, standing erect on two speeding horses and various other feats of bravery.