The 129th edition of the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena will feature a float highlighting the tradition of the Indian American langar or community meals, reports News India.
The Sikh Coalition which is helping to organize the float says it will be entitled The United Sikh Mission and will be the 55th entry out of 88 floats, bands and other entries that will line the parade route.
Almost 91,000 flowers and 500 pounds of vegetables are being used to construct the float.
“Growing up in California, it was always a dream to see a Sikh float in the Tournament of Roses Parade,” said Bhajneet Singh, a member of the Sikh committee building the float, said to Outlook India.
“The theme of langar really speaks the values of Sikhism and the work that we are doing to help our communities every day here in California and across the world,” he said.
This is the fourth consecutive year the Sikh community will be represented in the parade. The timing coincides with growing incidents of racial and religious biased attacks on the community.
In Los Angeles alone, the Sikh community feeds thousands of people every month, following the Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib in Amritsar, which serves an estimated 100,000 free meals every day. It’s one of the largest free kitchens in the world.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Facebook page and our Twitter feed, Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story for consideration.
