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Pakistan is a country that is blessed with starkly different landscapes, varying seasons, and people belonging to lively and thriving different religious and cultural backgrounds. Muslims are in the majority, but the white portion of the flag of the country is dedicated to the many religious minorities that exist within the borders of this country. The festivals that are celebrated by different religious minorities bring life and color to this region, including the Uchal festival, Raksha Bandhan, Christmas, etc.
It is unfortunate that religious extremism and political workings have pushed religious minorities to the outskirts of society. Even though the leaders try their hardest to propagate that Pakistan is a melting pot where all communities co-exist peacefully, the reality is far from the truth. Recently, irregularities were reported in a Rs. 300 million project that was targeted toward improving the quality of lives of religious minority communities, including arranging festivals for religious minorities.
To bring about true harmony between religious groups, tolerance needs to be cultivated. Perhaps, one way of doing so would be to normalize aspects of religious minority communities’ lives, including their religious and cultural festivals. On account of it, a few festivals celebrated by different religious minorities are discussed below.
Hinglaj Mata Festival
The Hindu religion has 51 Shakti Peethas, three of which are in Pakistan. A Shakti Peetha is a sacred destination or a shrine devoted to the goddess Sita. One is Hinglaj Mata mandir in Hinglaj, Lesbella district in Balochistan. In Hinduism, the Hinglaj Mata was a manifestation of the goddess Shakti and several legends surround her. The Hinglaj Mata mandir hosts the Hinglaj Mata Festival for three days every year. The temple is said to be 5,000 years old. It is estimated that the temple receives over 1 million visitors each year and the government has started constructing lodges for the visitors.
In April 2023, 100,000 devotees visited the temple for the festival. According to Vesemal Kidwani, who managed the 2023 festival, “Hinglaj Mata temple is the holiest site for the entire Hindu community in the world.”
Holi
Holi is a religious event dedicated to the love story of Krishna and Radha. It is also known as the Festival of Colors, Love, and Spring as it marks the arrival of spring in India. The Hindu community in Pakistan celebrates the event every year. On this day, the Hindu community celebrates the day by dancing, playing with gulaal, having traditional food, and visiting temples.
In March 2023, the Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman mandir hosted one of the biggest Holi celebrations in the country and people from all religious communities attended it. Unfortunately, this year news surfaced about 30 students of the Hindu community who were attacked by Islami Jamiat-e-Talba activists for celebrating Holi. When the students held a demonstration outside the VC office, they were beaten again by the university guards.
Navratri
Navratri is a 9-day Hindu religious festival in honor of the goddess Durga. The devotees worship the goddess and particularly her 9 forms over 9 days. Each day is marked by a significant color and worshippers dress accordingly each day. It usually falls between September and October on the Gregorian calendar.
Nowruz
Nowruz marks the Iranian New Year and is celebrated by different groups, based on their religious and cultural beliefs. In Pakistan, it is celebrated by the Parsi community and some sects of Muslims as well. In May 2023, a three-day event was held from March 21 to March 23 to celebrate both Nowruz and Pakistan Day. Different regions of Gilgit Baltistan took part in the event in the form of polo, food festivals, traditional dances, and other rituals. Hajji Abdul Hameed, a minister from the local government, commented, “Such festivals should be celebrated in all districts… There is nothing wrong with celebrating Nowruz and we will arrange bigger festivals in coming years.”
Baisakhi Festival
Baisakhi festival marks a new year for Sikhs and is celebrated each year on April 13 or 14. In April 2023, over 10,000 Sikh and Hindu devotees visited the Gurdwara Punja Sahib for the festival. The party leader of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amarjit Singh, commended the Pakistani government’s efforts of making the journey and festival easy on the devotees.
Guru Nanak’s Birth Anniversary
Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary is celebrated with zeal by Sikhs all across the world as Baba Nanak is the founder and one of the most important gurus of the Sikh religion. The celebrations are carried on for ten days from November 6 to November 15. Pakistan is home to a dwindling population of Sikhs and some of their most important religious sites, the most significant being the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in the city where Guru Nanak was born.
In November 2022, nearly 3,000 Sikh yatrees (pilgrims) visited the different gurdwaras in Pakistan entering through the Wagah border and utilizing the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free corridor established to allow Sikhs of India easy access to their religious sites. Various arrangements for Guru Nanak’s 553rd birth anniversary were made by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Pakistan Railways was responsible for running 3 trains from the Wagah station to Nankana Sahib station for the pilgrims.
Easter
Easter is one of the most important celebrations in Christianity and is celebrated on the first Sunday of the Christian calendar after the 40 days of fasting come to an end. It is to celebrate the triumph of life over death and is taken as a sign that God is with the righteous people as it is said to be the day when Jesus Christ was resurrected in Jeruselum.
The Christians of Pakistan celebrated Easter on April 9, 2023, in churches and at home throughout the country. Midnight and morning masses were held at the Holy Trinity Church in Karachi, All Saints Church, St John’s Church, Catholic Church, United Church, and other churches in Peshawar, and Catholic Church in Rawalpindi. A ritual of the celebration and a symbol of the empty tomb of Christ is decorating, collecting, and breaking Easter eggs which were carried out by the community and Easter eggs were sold at a famous bakery, United Bakery, in Saddar in Karachi.
Pakistan will reach its full potential as a country if the differences between various groups are embraced and welcomed. The above-stated festivals are just a few examples. Ideally, the hope of a modern and better society is that all factions of people enjoy their full rights and take part in each other’s customs and traditions.
