Gurpurab in Sikh tradition is a celebration of an anniversary of a Guru's birth marked by the holding of a festival.There are indications in the old chronicles that the gurus who succeeded Guru Nanak celebrated his birthday.

 

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Such importance was attached to the anniversaries that dates of the deaths of the first four gurus were recorded on a leaf in the first recension of the Scripture prepared by the Fifth Guru, Guru Arjan.

 

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The term gurpurab first appeared in the time of the gurus. It is a compound of the word purab (or parva in Sanskrit), meaning a festival or celebration, with the word guru. It occurs in at least five places in the writings of Bhai Gurdas (1551–1636), written in the time of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (5th Guru of the Sikhs).

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