Holla Mohalla is a Sikh festival that is celebrated every year in the month of March, a day after Holi. The annual festival held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. It is essentially a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles on the day following the festival of Holi.
Holla Mohalla derives its name from Punjabi word Mohalla which implies an organised procession in the form of an army column, accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving from one Gurdwara to another. Holla Mohalla is celebrated as a reminder of the valour and defence preparedness of the Sikhs. These were the concepts dear to the Tenth Guru who was at that time battling the Mughal Empire.
Holla Mohalla is a community festival where people can come together and remember the Valor of Sikhs who battled for Punjab. The festival begins with the prayer in the Gurudwara and later Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs’ Holy Book, is taken out for ritual bath with milk and water.
During the evening, visitors can witness a martial arts performance by the Nihang Sikhs, identifiable by their blue attire, turbans and multiple weapons brandished. They perform daring stunts with swords and, recreate battles. Watching such amazing stunts can really take one’s breath away.
