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Sikhs in Italy celebrate Hole Mohalla with a "Nagar Kirtan" procession
Thousands of Sikhs from across Europe gather in northern Italy as locals join Hola Mohalla festivities.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Mon, 16, Mar 2026
- 17:07 EDT
- 27
Hola Mohalla celebrations / Picture by Majinder Singh Suxxaru of Italy
For them, a “Nagar Kirtan” procession by a strong immigrant community from Punjab in North India has been something “unique” and “unprecedented.” For them, the display of “gatka” by Nihang Sikhs was both “out of this world” and “awesome.”
Hundreds of Sikhs drawn not only from all over Italy but also from neighboring countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, and Spain, descended on Cortenova in Bergamo to join the historic Hola Mohalla celebrations.
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Italy has a substantial population of immigrants from Punjab. Working both at farmhouses and cheese-processing factories, besides making their presence felt in other dominant sectors, many Indo-Italians have become an integral part of the societies of the new countries of their abode.
It is one reason that Italians, too, look for opportunities to join the festivities of their “overseas” companions, many of whom have become naturalized citizens here.
Cortenova, a town in the Bergamo district of the Italian province of Lombardy, is one such area where the population of Punjabi immigrants is substantial. Also a part of the overseas Punjabi community are the “Nihang Sikhs,” affectionately called members of the “Ladli Fauj” (adorned army) of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
In the second week of March, Sikhs in Italy assemble at different places to take out a “Nagar Kirtan,” or “Sikh parade,” to mark the Hola Mohalla celebrations.
Even Italian youth love the festival of colors, says Prithipal Singh, a key figure in the Italian chapter of the World Sikh Soldiers Organization. “They love to play Holi and greet their near and dear ones with ‘gulal.’”
The three-day Hola Mohalla festival was celebrated with great pomp and show by the Guru’s beloved troops in Cortenova. Prithipal Singh says that Hola Mohalla has been celebrated by the Nihang Singhs for the last six years. Apart from Italy, a large number of devotees from other European countries like Germany, France, and England also arrived to celebrate the Holi festival.
“If we talk about the number of devotees, then according to an estimate, the number of devotees was between 30,000 and 35,000.” Another thing worth mentioning here is that the girls and boys of the local Italian community also participate in Hola Mohalla celebrations. They have a lot of fun by applying gulal to their near and dear ones.
Prithipal Singh, Iqbal Singh Sodhi, Manjinder Singh, Gurmail Singh, and Jasvir Singh Parma from Gurdwara Singh Sabha Novellara joined the Nagar Kirtan procession. The entire route of the procession was dotted with special stalls serving Guru Ka Langar.
The celebrations also mark the start of a new Sikh year.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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