Manitoba's Sikh community brings downtown Winnipeg to life
CBC News | Posted: September 3, 2023 4:09 AM | Last Updated: September 3, 2023
About 25,000 people turned out for the annual Sikh parade and celebration
Manitoba's Sikh community celebrated their culture with pride Sunday afternoon as thousands gathered in downtown Winnipeg for the Nagar Kirtan parade, an annual celebration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism.
"This is a very big opportunity for us," said Sukhmani Kaur, who moved to Winnipeg in January.
"It's like a very proud moment for me and for every Indian."
The parade, which returned for the second time since a pandemic hiatus, drew about 25,000 people, according to the Winnipeg Police Service.
Jujar Brar, vice president of the Sikh Society of Manitoba, which helped organize the event, said the number of people who turn out each year is a testament to how much the Sikh population has grown in the province and a demonstration of the community's generosity.
"We're celebrating a very historical event in Sikhi, but … also we are celebrating the home we found here in the city and in the province of Manitoba," he told CBC News on Saturday.
"You can definitely see how our people have grown more comfortable and felt more at home here in the city," Brar said.
The parade began at Memorial Boulevard and York Avenue Sunday afternoon. The procession then travelled down York and turned on Garry Street before making its way back to Memorial Park via Broadway.
A celebration also took place at the park, complete with free food for attendees, traditional Sikh music and greetings from provincial political party members. The Sikh community also presented a donation of more than $50,000 to the Children's Hospital Foundation, Brar said.
For Parneet Kaur, who has lived in Winnipeg for more than five years, the celebration is an opportunity for non-Sikhs to learn about Sikh culture.
"I feel really great to see lots of people come here and show our culture to other communities as well," she said Sunday.
HS Chawla, who was part of a motorcycle procession that rode in front of the parade, agreed, saying he invited his non-Sikh friends to join to ask questions about the culture and meet new people.
"They form a Sikh parade to show the public what Sikhs are, how we live, how we dress," he said. "It's very refreshing."