Guru Ravidas Jayanti

The birth anniversary of the Indian Guru Ravidas is a popular holiday in northern India, with a public holiday given in four states. In 2027, Guru Ravidas Jayanti falls on Saturday 20 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. Guru Ravidas Jayanti takes place on the full moon of the month of Magh on the Hindu Calendar. On the Gregorian Calendar, it normally falls sometime in February. Ravidas was a famous mystical poet and song writer who lived in the 1400’s and 1500’s. He had a huge influence on the “Bhakti Movement”, which was a “spiritual devotional” movement within Hinduism that later morphed into the new Sikh religion. However, his teachings also led to the founding of the Ravidassia religion in the 21st Century, and it is mostly followers of Ravidassia who celebrate Guru Ravidas Jayanti and take it off work each year. Devotees will perform various rituals, chant his songs and poems, march in parades while carrying a big picture of Guru Ravidas, and bath in the Ganges River. Some will also go on pilgrimage to a temple dedicated to Ravidas and offer their prayers.