Celebrating Sikhism's holiest day alone on their driveway

  • Report by Granada Reports correspondent Rob Smith

Satwinder Kaur and her family expected to celebrate their religion's holiest day with a parade through their home city of Manchester, visiting its Gurdwaras - Sikh temples - along the way.

Instead, they spent it on their driveway and in their front room.

Vaisakhi celebrates the creation of the Khalsa - the collective body of initiated Sikhs - but Covid restrictions mean no community events have been able to take place.

The family celebrated with hymns and prayers at home

Gurdwara Sahib would usually welcome 3000 worshippers on this day, but they have seen just a fraction of that. In a hall where the carpet would usually be hidden from view, there was more space than people.

The few worshippers came as individuals or small family groups

The temple's volunteers offered an online feed to help people stay at home and join in. A meal designed to eaten communally, inside the temple, at the end of the service was bagged for takeaway.

The pandemic has changed so many religious festivals over the past year, but it can't stop them.