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Sikhism

Guru Nanak Gurpurab

When is Guru Nanak’s birthday in 2026 and 2027, the most celebrated Sikh festival: the life and teachings of the founder of Sikhism and how the day is kept with continuous reading, processions and langar.

Next date

Tuesday, 24 November 2026

In brief

  1. I.The Gurpurab of Guru Nanak celebrates the birth of the founder of Sikhism in 1469.
  2. II.It is one of the most important days of the Sikh year.
  3. III.Gurdwaras hold an Akhand Path, a 48-hour unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib.
  4. IV.Processions, hymns and free meals for all mark the day.

Chapter I

What it celebrates

Guru Nanak (1469–1539) was born in Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. After a spiritual experience in the river near Sultanpur, he declared “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim”, and spent his life travelling and teaching that there is one God, that all people are equal and that one should live honestly, remember God and share with others.

His hymns open the Guru Granth Sahib, and his teaching is the foundation of Sikhism.

Chapter II

How it is kept

Two days before, an Akhand Path, a continuous reading of the whole scripture, begins in gurdwaras. On the eve, nagar kirtan processions carry the Guru Granth Sahib through the streets. On the day, Sikhs gather from early morning to sing hymns, hear talks on the Guru’s life and share langar The free communal kitchen of every gurdwara, where all eat together as equals. Glossary, the free communal meal open to all. Gurdwaras and homes are lit up at night.

Chapter III

Around the world

Thousands of Sikh pilgrims cross into Pakistan to celebrate at Nankana Sahib, the Guru’s birthplace, and at Kartarpur, where he died, linked to India since 2019 by a visa-free corridor.

Questions people ask

Why is it kept at the full moon of Kartik if Nanak was born in April?

Some early sources give a date in April, but the tradition of celebrating at the Kartik full moon became established and is followed by most Sikhs.

What is a gurpurab?

A festival marking an event in the life of one of the Gurus, such as a birth or martyrdom.

Sources and further reading

  1. Toronto Metropolitan University, “2027 Calendar of Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances”
  2. Toronto Metropolitan University, “2026 Calendar of Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances”
  3. Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury, 2013)
  4. W. Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi, The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (Sussex Academic Press, 2nd ed. 1995)

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