Sikhs honor Guru Nanak’s birthday with prayer and service

This past week, Sikhs around the world celebrated the 556th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru.

He was a spiritual leader and philosopher from India whose teachings founded Sikhism.

“He was actually very revolutionary for his time. He was born in 1469, kind of dark times in India, at the north of India. But his message was of hope and unity,” said Jay Kang, member of Erie Gurdwara Sikh cultural society.

Born in the 15th century, Guru Nanak was a philosopher who believed that there is one God who is present within everyone.

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He taught three pillars to live by:

• Naam Japna – Keep the divine in your heart and daily awareness

• Kirat Kiro – Earn an honest living through sincerity and hard work

• Vand Chakna – Share with others, especially those in need

Members of the Erie Gurdwara Sikh cultural society celebrated Guru Nanak all weekend long, starting on Friday and concluding on Sunday.

Jay Kang told us that they had a prayer service called Akhand Path in which they read their holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, from cover to cover in a continuous fashion.

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Members of the community from all backgrounds were invited and even offered food.

The president of Erie’s Sihk Temple said that feeding the community is something that they do every Sunday and told us that everyone is always invited.

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