Sudbury holds first Khalsa Day parade
It's an important day for the Sikh community in Sudbury. It's marking Khalsa Day, a holy day in their scripture.
"So this is the start of our religion and we celebrate it," said Manjit Singh Mangat, president of the local Sikh temple.
The Sikh community's parade highlighting an Aurich tapestry of their vibrant culture both in and out of the community made their way through city streets, winding along various side streets until they reached the inner courtyard of Tom Davies Square. (Ian Campbell/CTV News Northern Ontario)They marched their way through city streets, winding along various side streets until they reached the inner courtyard of Tom Davies Square. The parade highlighting an Aurich tapestry of their vibrant culture both in and out of the community.
"So actually we drove four hours from Toronto to Sudbury today to see the religious parade and we also brought our team with us which is Sikh Nation - remembering the Sikh genocide of 1984," said Hardeep Wasan.
From dancing to singing, using swords to seeping streets. The mosaic on display dates back to the late 17th century.
"I'm awe-struck," said Deputy Mayor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann.
"As a resident, bring born and educated here, certainly to see this here, we're so much better because of this."
"We do have a very multi-cultural city here so we're just happy to be involved with it and hopefully this is one of many," said Sergeant Blair Ramsay of the Greater Sudbury Police Traffic Unit.
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
A large part of their faith is also about charity. Khushwant Singh Bajwa, one of the members of the Sikh Motorcycle Club, said his group works hard to give back.
"Amazing day, today is the first Nagar Kirtan celebration here in Sudbury and we hope a lot will be coming in the future," said Bajwa.
Other senior levels of government were also on hand, including MP Viviane Lapointe.
"Proud day (for me) as a Sudburian, proud day as a member of parliament for Sudbury. I think as we talk about building inclusive communities, we can see it demonstrated here in a very clear way," she said.
"More than 500 people are here today from all different backgrounds to support the Sikh community, you know I walked here with people from the N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre," said MPP Jamie West.
While there is no official count, organizers said they're ‘over the moon’ with the turnout.
Work now starts at getting ready for the Khalsa Day parade in Timmins at the end of the month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.