Hola Mohalla in Livingston celebrates Sikh history, religion

A religious festival that drew thousands of people from around the state has its roots as a historic show of strength, according to its participants.

The Hola Mohalla festival began with religious rites Sunday before marchers left the Gurdwara Sahib Temple on Peach Avenue and headed across town to the Guru Nanak Sikh Mission on B Street.

A turban-wearing motorcycle club, huge floats pulled by big rigs and thousands of marchers were part of the procession. Many were clad in bright colors, and a helicopter even dropped flower petals on the parade as it crossed town.

Once persecuted for their religion, Sikhs developed the parade as a show of force, according to Gurpal Samra, the Livingston councilman whose cart at the front of the parade served as a sort of pace car.

“They used to go village to village to show, ‘We’re here to help you,’ ” he said. “Over time, it turned into this.”

The day also honors the religion’s 10th leader, Guru Gobindh Singh.

Hola Mohalla translates into English as “mock fight.” To that end, martial artists held demonstrations, whirling around with curved swords or other traditional weapons.

Jaspreet Singh, 18, of Stockton served as a coach and referee for his peers and younger fighters who faced off and trained while a crowd circled and watched. They displayed Gatka, a Sikh martial art, with staffs, shields, swords and other weapons.

“We show them how to play, and how to use them,” he said. “Just like the Chinese have kung fu. (Gatka) is like that.”

Singh is a member of California Gatka Dal, as is Jaskaran Singh, 20, of Turlock. He said the Sikhs have a long history of great warriors, and the demonstration honored Guru Gobindh Singh.

“He gave us these swords and shastars to protect ourselves,” he said using the Punjabi word for “weapons.”

The martial artists also showed off a tamer version of a weapon called an “aara,” a sort of flexible sword that is several feet long and serrated.

The weekend’s festival was the 19th of its kind in Livingston, according to leaders. Temple leaders also note that Sikhs are not newcomers to Merced County, with the first coming to work on farms and the railroad more than 100 years ago.

Sikhism, which promotes equality, compassion and tolerance, is the world’s fifth-largest religion. It was started in the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan. More than 30,000 Sikhs live in the central San Joaquin Valley.

About 20 percent of Livingston is Sikh, according to temple leaders.

Samra was quick to say that the parade is not political but rather a celebration of the faith. But, some of the marchers did take a political stance about India.

A group called Sikhs for Justice marched in the parade and said they want the United Nations to push India to set up a sovereign Sikh state in India. They also want the U.N. to declare a 1984 attack on Sikhs in the country’s capital to be an act of genocide, according to member Gurpreet Singh, 31, of Sacramento.

“We had our own country before the British came in,” he said.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Hola Mohalla in Livingston celebrates Sikh history, religion."