Yuba City 36th Annual Sikh Parade

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The Yuba City Sikh festival and parade is one of the biggest and most spectacular Sikhism annual events in all of Northern California drawing as many as 75,000 devotees and spectators and Yuba Sutter United Way was there again for the third year in a row.

Yuba City has been hosting an annual Guru Gadee Parade since 1979, this year was the the 36th annual Sikh Parade. The event commemorates the Guru Gaddee inauguration holiday of Sikhism’s Holy Scripture, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, as the everlasting guru of the Sikhs. 

The three-day Gure Gadee (Gaddi) Diwas festivities celebrate the inaugural anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism's Holy Scripture. Gurpurab events which include worship services and Kirtan climax with Nagar Kirtan, an annual procession in which Sikhs carry the scripture from the Gurdwara on to a float and parade through the streets of Yuba City singing devotional hymns. Cramming the Gurdwara grounds and spilling out to line the parade route are bazaars with wares catering to every whim and need associated with Sikhism interspersed with free food booths offering every sort of delectable langar.

Festivities begin Friday with flag rising of the Nishan Sahib bearing the Khalsa crest.  Free food is available to all attendees during the entire weekend event. Worship services featuring Kirtan are held Friday and Saturday mornings and evenings. Sunday morning Gurdwara services center around ceremonies led by Granthis transporting Guru Granth Sahib from the hosting Tierra Buena Gurdwara onto a decorated palanquin which heads up the parade. Sword dancing Gatka troupes demonstrate their skill as devotees throng through the streets. Participating floats overflow with Sangat representing Gurdwaras from all over California, all around the USA and even Canada. Spectators mingle with Sevadars serving free food and vendors of colorful bazaars to line the parade route in a happy jumble of humanity.

Thanks to board member, Sukh Sidhu, the Yuba-Sutter United Way has been able to participate in the event and the parade while raising money to assist our Partner Agencies. While this year wasn’t as financially successful as hoped due to inclement weather, Sukh and the other United Way volunteers were still able to collect $6,267.15.

Next year’s event will be held on November 4-6, 2016.