Members of the Sikh community hit the streets as part of a religious event aimed at raising public spirits.

Chabeel Day is an international day of commemoration of the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. 

Refreshments were handed out to the public in 12 different locations on Saturday, including Southampton, London, Birmingham and Leeds.

Harinder Singh of Sikh educational charity Basics of Sikhi said, “It was a great day of community integration.

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"Through this simple gesture of handing out a free refreshment we put a smile on someone’s face and have a chat about why we’re doing it. 

"We spoke to hundreds of people and hopefully many of them went away a bit cooler and with a bit more understanding about Sikhi.”

‘Chabeel’ is a Punjabi word referring to a sweet, cool, non-alcoholic drink made up of rose-water syrup, milk and ice.

Traditionally in India for hundreds of years Sikhs have offered chabeel to the general public on hot days, especially between May and June, when Sikhs remember the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

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In 1606 Guru Arjan Dev Ji refused to change Sikh religious 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.

Jasveer Singh Gill of the Sikh Press Association, the organisation behind Chabeel Day, said, “Guru Arjan Dev Ji taught Sikhs to accept God’s will as sweet. Therefore, we honour the Guru’s burning by cooling everyone else. 

"This is in line with the Sikh concept of Chardi Kala, (directly translated as “ever-rising spirits”) which dictates that one should be eternally optimistic.

"In today’s climate, we feel spreading Chardi Kala is more important than ever.”