Sikhs hand out drinks in Leeds for Chabeel Day
Sikhs served up hundreds of drinks in Leeds's Dortmund Square on Saturday as part of a religious commemoration.
The uplifting gesture was made on international Chabeel Day. It is tradition in India, for Sikhs to offer Chabeel - a Punjabi word referring to a sweet, cool drink of rose-water syrup, milk and ice - to the community on hot days, especially in May and June.
They do so to remember the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, who was tortured by being made to sit on a red hot plate whilst hot sand was poured over him, and to spread the ‘Chardi Kala’ attitude - one of optimism and "ever rising spirits".
Jasveer Singh Gill of the Sikh Press Association, the organisation behind Chabeel Day, said: “Guru Arjan Dev Ji taught Sikhs to accept God’s will as sweet. Therefore, we honour the Guru’s burning by cooling everyone else. This is in line with the Sikh concept of Chardi Kala. In today’s climate, we feel spreading Chardi Kala is more important than ever.”