Source: The Record Searchlight
[redding.com/news/2009/nov/22/sikh-celebration-honors-religions-founder/]
For the third straight year, the Sikh community gathered Saturday for a day of celebration on the eve of the religion founder's birthday.
Saturday's dazzling and colorful festivities - which featured food, music, prayer, a flag ceremony and a helicopter hovering overhead dropping rose petals on the assembly - also served as a Thanksgiving celebration for the entire north state.
"We celebrate the founder of the Sikh religion, and we have been doing it for the last three years at this place," said Armajit Singh, head priest of the Sikh Centre in Anderson.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji established the religion and served as the first Sikh guru from 1469 to 1539. Nanak was the first of 10 gurus. The last human guru was Gobind Singh, who served as the religion's leader from 1675 to 1708.
Today, the Sikh religion's guru is its sacred text - Guru Granth Sahib.