Thousands of Sikhs paraded through the streets of Bradford today as part of an annual celebration to remember the birth of their faith.

A vibrant procession wound its way through the city, stopping at Bradford’s six Sikh temples, to celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi.

The parade, which started at the Ramgarhia Sikh Temple in Bolton Road, was led by five bearers of the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh holy flag, and a five-strong guard of honour.

The centre piece of the procession, displayed on a float, was the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy book.

Participants, dressed in bright colours, chanted hymns to the beat of Sikh drummers, who represented the faith’s militant origins.

Dr Rajinder Singh Panesar, a co-organiser of the event and a faith tutor at Bradford Interfaith Education Centre, said 6,500 Sikhs from across the country attended.

He said: “It’s a special day for the Sikhs. I think Sikhism is the only tradition in the world that celebrates its own birthday.

“In 1699 the tenth guru changed the lifestyle of Sikhs and created Khalsa, giving them five different symbols to follow. Ever since then the Sikhs have been celebrating this day with pomp and show to mark the birth of Khalsa.

“The whole idea of the procession is to make people understand that we accept everyone as a friend. We believe in respecting everyone as equal.”

Surinder Singh Gill, 35, of Thornbury, Bradford, who takes part in the parade each year, said: “It’s a good way of getting people together. I see familiar faces I haven’t seen for a long time.”

Children from different faith groups also took part in the parade, which was supported for the first time by fire service staff.

Balvinder Bains, community outreach and recruitment worker for the fire service, said: “By taking part we want to embrace diversity and generate interest in the community.”