Essen.
Hundreds of Sikhs marched from their temple into the city. The community wants to give the people of Essen an insight into their culture.
On Sunday (30 April), Essen’s Sikh community moved into the city center with their traditional Nagar Kirtan procession from their temple on Bersonstrasse in the northern district. On Kennedyplatz, the colorful parade with hundreds of participants culminated in a festival to which the community invited all Essen residents to give them an insight into the culture and traditions of the Sikhs.
[Essen-Newsletter hier gratis abonnieren | Auf einen Blick: Polizei- und Feuerwehr-Artikel + Innenstadt-Schwerpunkt + Rot-Weiss Essen + Lokalsport | Nachrichten aus: Süd + Rüttenscheid + Nord + Ost + Kettwig & Werden + Borbeck & West | Alle Artikel aus Essen]
The procession was originally scheduled to take place in 2016. At that time, the community had to give up the plan because of security concerns: In April of that year there was a bomb attack on the Sikh temple in Essen, in which the 62-year-old priest of the community was seriously injured. At that time, the procession was moved to the stadium, and now the community was finally able to fulfill their wish to carry the festival into the city.
The procession started at 12 o’clock at the Sikh temple Gurdwara Nanaksar Sat Sang Darbar on Bersonstrasse and carried the holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji to Kennedyplatz, where the faithful could admire it.
Community meal on Kennedyplatz in Essen
When the sun was shining, the festively dressed Sikhs ate the “Langar” communal meal at long tables. In addition, free chai tea and Indian snacks were distributed to participants and visitors alike. So there was “Pakore” (fried vegetables coated with chickpea flour batter) and “Jalebi” (fried wheat flour donuts). In addition to Indian music, the sounds of Scottish bagpipes could also be heard: the musicians had come to the festival at the invitation of the Sikhs from Düsseldorf.
More articles from this category can be found here: Essen