Hello, Twitter. Today I'm going to teach you a lil bit more about my religion and faith as a Sikh! Hopefully, in this thread, you'll learn why today, Vaisakhi, is important to 25 million Sikhs around the world. :)

It all began in 1699 when thousands of people were congregated around Anandpur Sahib (northern part of Punjan, India) to listen to Guru Gobind Rai (10th Guru) preach. He was on a fairly large hill with a tent behind when he asked, "who will offer their head?"

Confused and startled, no one answered. One man, Daya Ram, stood up and offered his head to the Guru. They went into the tent, and the Guru came out with a bloody kirpan - a sword Sikhs use as self-defense/protection. Terrified, people started to flee.

The Guru asked this question 4 more times. After the 4th man went inside, all 5 of the men came out with a turban on their head. After they were sprinkled with Amrit (holy water), they were baptized into Khalsa (pure). The five men were known as the Panj Piare (Beloved Five).

This is where Sikhs receive their identity: turbans, uncut hair, wearing a steel bracelet, wearing a kirpan, etc. Men changed their middle names to Singh (lion), while women changed theirs to Kaur (princess) to further progress the Sikh value of equality.

When Guru Gobind Singh (Rai --> Singh) created Khalsa, he fully developed Sikhism into the religion it is today. After Guru Nanak Dev Ji (the 1st Guru) founded Sikhism in 1469, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed the journey.

Thank you for reading. Happy Vaisakhi! :)