June 8th is the date for this year’s Chabeel Day!
‘Chabeel’ is a Punjabi word referring to a sweet, cool, non-alcoholic drink. Traditionally, in India Sikhs have offered chabeel to the general public on hot days, especially between May and June, when Sikhs remember the martyrdom of Guru Arjun Dev Ji.
The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, became the first Sikh martyr in 1606 after He refused to change the Sikh scriptures as ordered by the tyrannical Mughal Emperor Jahangir, in an effort to curtail the Guru’s growing influence in India. When Guru Arjan Dev Ji refused, He was tortured by being made to sit on a red hot plate, whilst hot sand was poured over Him.
Instead of remembering this event through mourning, the Guru taught the Sikhs to accept God’s will as sweet. Therefore, Sikhs changed negativity into positivity by turning an attack upon them into a chance to serve others. We honour the Guru’s burning by cooling everyone else.