Sacramento Valley's Largest South Asian Population Celebrates at this Weekend's Punjabi American Festival – PAHS Press Release

The Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds will host more than 10,000 people Sunday, May 25th during the 9th Annual Punjabi American Festival. Sponsored by the Punjabi American Heritage Society of Yuba City, the festival is a way for those with Punjabi roots to celebrate and share their culture.

Date: Sunday, May 25th
Time: 11:00 am to 8 pm (best time is mid-day, approx 3 – 4 pm)
Location: Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds, Yuba City

Punjabi Americans have their roots in the Punjab region between India and Pakistan. While a majority of Punjabis in the USA adhere to the Sikh religion, many wearing a Sikh turban and beard, other Punjabis are of Muslim, Hindu, or Christian faiths.

Punjabis were the first group of people from South Asia to start migrating to the United States more than a century ago. Between 1903-1908, Punjabis primarily worked on the Western Pacific Railways in Northern California. And two thousand Punjabis worked on a 700-mile road between Oakland and Salt Lake City, which today is modern interstate 80.

The growing network of railroad lines brought increased agricultural activity to large areas of the Sacramento Valley. Because of their agricultural experience from the Punjab Indus Valley, which historians acknowledge was one of the first civilizations to invent agriculture,
Punjabis started moving into farming jobs. Today Punjabis play a vital role in the agricultural industry of the entire Central and Sacramento Valley’s, and make up a majority of the South Asian population.

The Punjabi American Heritage Society was founded in 1993 with the purpose of creating a better understanding amongst different people living in this area and to educate children about their ancestral roots. In the past ten years, many events have been organized to improve awareness and to educate fellow Americans.

At this year’s festival, hundreds of local performing artists, including students from California schools, colleges and universities, will perform traditional Punjabi dances such as Bhangra, Giddha, Jhumar, Malwai Giddha, Bengali and Gujarati. Traditional and modern styles of dance will also be presented. There will also be guest performances by Scottish and Hispanic
performers. In addition, vendors will be on hand providing many Punjabi and South Asian delicacies.

This year’s festival will also highlight performances by internationally acclaimed artist, Harbhajan Singh Mann while Manmohan Singh, Bollywood movie director, will honored for his work on the latest Punjabi movie: Jee Ayaan Nu.

This year’s festival will also feature: a photo exhibit by Professor Janmeja Singh Johl; a painting exhibition by Jarnail Singh; and three educational documentaries in English: Mistaken Identity, Punjabi Village and Roots in the Sand.