Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 is on Tuesday

About Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, and spent his final years at Kartarpur, where he died in 1539. He taught devotion to one God, honest work, sharing with others and the equality of all people, and his hymns form part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture. His birth anniversary, also called Prakash Purab, is one of the most important days of the Sikh year.

Celebrations begin two days early with an Akhand Path, an unbroken reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib that takes about 48 hours and finishes on the morning of the anniversary. On the day before, a Nagar Kirtan procession led by five people representing the Panj Pyare, the "five beloved ones," carries the scripture through the streets with hymns and displays of the Sikh martial art gatka. In the weeks before, early-morning processions called prabhat pheris wind through neighborhoods. On the day itself, gurdwaras are lit up and hold kirtan, or hymn singing, and volunteers serve langar, a free meal open to everyone regardless of background.

Sikh tradition celebrates the birth on Kartik Purnima, the full moon of the month of Kartik, although many historians, following early accounts, date it to April 1469. The 550th anniversary in 2019 was marked by the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, which lets pilgrims from India visit the gurdwara at Kartarpur in Pakistan without a visa. The day is a closed holiday for Indian central government offices, and the date shown is the Government of India's.

Sources: Britannica: Guru Nanak, Government of India, Department of Personnel and Training: holidays for central government offices in 2027 (O.M. 12/2/2023-JCA, 16 July 2026). How we check dates.

How to mark Guru Nanak Jayanti

• Visit a local gurdwara; cover your head, remove your shoes and join the langar meal, which is open to all.
• Volunteer to cook, serve or clean at a community langar.
• Read a translation of the Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak's best-known composition.
• Watch or join a Nagar Kirtan procession in your city.
• Practice one of Guru Nanak's core teachings by sharing part of your earnings or time with someone in need.

Guru Nanak Jayanti dates