Anniversaries associated with the lives of the Sikh Gurus are referred to as Gurpurabs (festivals). The birth anniversary of each of the ten gurus of the Khalsa Pantha is celebrated as Gurpurab. Of these the important ones are the birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru Govind Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun Dev and Guru Teg Bahadur. The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak or Guru Nanak's jayanti, which falls in the months of October-November, is enthusiastically celebrated by Sikhs as gurpurab.

Akhand pathas, community feasts, kar seva and religious processions form part of the festivities. This is a complete and continuous reading of Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, that takes 48 hours and finishes on the day of the festival. This is also performed in times of ceremony such as birth, death, marriage and moving into a new home.

In India and parts of Britain, there are processions where the Sikh Scripture is paraded around. Five people representing the first five members of the Khalsa (the Panj Piaras r Five Beloved Ones) head the procession carrying the Sikh flag. Musicians, singers and martial artists follow. Outside some Gudwaras, free sweets are offered to the general public, regardless of their faith.