For the Sikhs, Baisakhi is a festival with enormous religious significance. It celebrates the formation of the Sikh Khalsa, or brotherhood. On Baisakhi day in 1699, the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, called on the Sikhs to sacrifice themselves for their community.

Sikhism, in its present form, owes its existence to that Baisakhi day. It was after that day in 1699 that the tradition of gurus was discontinued, and the Granth Sahib was declared the eternal guide of the Sikhs. Baisakhi also prepares the people of Punjab for the joy of the harvest season, which begins on the following day. It is a day of feasting and merriment before the hard, tiring, but fruitful time ahead.

The most famous of the Sikh stories also revolves around Baisakhi. Guru Gobind Singh, standing outside a tent, called for five Sikhs to sacrifice themselves for the community. When the first volunteer stepped up, the guru took him into the tent, and reappeared alone, carrying a blood stained sword. This happened with the four other people who volunteered. Later, the guru revealed that he had been smearing the sword with the blood of a dead animal, and all the five people were safe.