Hundreds of people attended the annual Vaisakhi celebration in Prince George that began with a parade from the temple called Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, 4298 Davis Road, Saturday morning and ended with a party at CN Centre's parking lot.
People at the event were welcomed to the cultural experience with speeches of welcome and live performances while indulging in the free vegetarian offerings from a variety of booths.
For the Skih community Saturday's Vaisakhi celebrated the 319th anniversary of Khalsa, which is the beginning of the Sikh community and also celebrates the beginning of the spring harvest.
In attendance to offer greetings was MP Todd Doherty, MLA Shirley Bond, MLA Mike Morris, and Mayor Lyn Hall.
"I think what people have come to recognize is the generosity of the Sikh community," Bond said. "Not only do they provide great entertainment and food here, but at the temple, the Gurdwara, people are always welcome to drop in and they will be fed and cared for. I've come to very much appreciate this community - they are generous and kind and really involved in Prince George."
Bond added cultural diversity celebrated at vaisakhi should be celebrated everyday.
At Saturday's Vaisakhi there were several booths offering free food including Tasty Tandoori from Vanderhoof, the Guru Nanak Darbar Soccer Club, Tandoori Nation of Prince George, and the Punjabi Trucking Association of Prince George.
It's the fifth year Lorne and Terry McKellar took in the Vaisakhi celebrations and Terry's favourite dish was the pakora, which is deep fried vegetables. Although Lorne tried several dishes he couldn't pick just one as his favourite but said he enjoyed them all.
"All our experiences here are very positive and it's very culturally interesting," Lorne said.
Terry said the event is very festive and the colourful attire people wear is beautiful.
"This type of event makes us all part of the same family," Lorne said. "It's just wonderful. It really is."
