Many
Sikh rituals today are not the same as they were at the time
of the Guru Nanak or any of the other Gurus. A group of radical
Sikhs called Tat Khalsa at the start of the 20th century decided
that Sikh rituals needed to be distinguished from Hindu ones.
They have now become fully established in Sikh practice as they
have been followed for a hundred years.
BIRTH
CEREMONY
Strict members of the Khalsa
mark the occasion by adding honey to water in a steel cup. The
water is stirred with a kirpan (dagger) and a few drops are
given to the child after a prayer
NAMING
CEREMONY
After a ceremony at
the gurdwara, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at random and
a name for the child is chosen from the first letter of the
first word of the first composition on the left-hand page 'Singh'
is added to a boy's name and 'Kaur' to a girls. Strictly speaking
the name should end there, no surname should follow as this
may have caste connotations.
TYING
A TURBAN
When a boy reaches the age of eleven
or twelve he may be taken to a gurdwara and his first turban
is tied by an elderly Sikh There are two purposes of this ceremony.
Firstly it shows the respect the turban is given and secondly
it shows the importance of the male line in families A turban
is not part of the 5K's. It serves several purposes though:
it distinguishes Sikhs, it is seen as being hygenic, in the
heat it keeps the head cool, it protects against cold weather,
it provides head protection, it is inexspensive and it is the
best way to manage Kes (uncut hair) Turbans can show things
such as age, place of origin or political preference by their
colour or shape. White is usually for the old, saffron for supporters
of Khalistan, one with a peak off-centre shows the wearer has
East-African origins.
KHALSA
INITIATION (Amrit
Sanskar or Khande di pahul)
Khalsa means 'pure' or dedicated'.
It was first performed by Guru Gobind Singh on Baisakhi in 1699
to five Sikhs named the Panj Piare (the five beloved ones).
Each drank a holy liquid called amrit and were the first members
of the Khalsa It is open to anyone who affirms belief in the
Khalsa, although it is usually men. A copy of the Guru Granth
Sahib and at least seven Khalsa Sikhs are required. Everyone
should wear the 5K's Five, representative of the Panj Piare,
administer the initiation whilst one stands at the door and
one sits with the Guru Granth Sahib. One addresses the person
wishing to be initiated on the faith they are to serve and they
prepare amrit (sweetened holy water) whilst reciting prayers
The amrit is drunk five times by the candidate each time calling
out 'Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh'. They are
then advised on the kurahit (four cardinal prohibitions).
MARRIAGE
CEREMONY
The original ceremony was deemed
'too Hindu' and was amended in 1909. The first step in arranging
a marriage is for the parents to ask relatives (bichola) to
find a suitable spouse for their son or daughter observing caste
regulations, although caste is not supposed to be taken into
account, in actual fact it is, and marriages between Sikhs and
Hindus often take place between Khatris (large-scale trader
caste) or Aroras (small-scale trader caste) If a suitable candidate
is found the girl's parents will ask to see the boy and vice-versa.
If they or the two candidates are not satisfied then another
search begins If both are agreeable then a date for the wedding
is set, a kurmai (promise to marry) is not essential but may
be arranged. In this instance the two families assemble at a
gurdwara or at the groom's house; the girl's family present
the boy with a kirpan (dagger), a kara (steel wrist ring) and
some mithiai (Indian sweets) The day before, or on the day,
of the wedding the groom proceeds with his barat (wedding party)
to the girl's house or gurdwara and is received by the bride's
family in the milni (ritual greeting ceremony) For the marriage
the bride and bridegroom sit in front of the Guru Granth Sahib,
with the bride to the groom's left. The bride's father then
places in her hand the hem of one of the garments worn by the
bridegroom, this signifies the father's surrendering of his
daughter. One of Guru Ram Das' hymns is then sung and after
each of the four stanzas the couple walk clockwise around the
Guru Granth Sahib, with the bride following the bridegroom.
Close male relatives of the bride assemble around the Guru Granth
Sahib and each in turn help the bride round with a comforting
arm around her After prayers are said and karah-parshad (sacred
food) is distributed, the wedding-feast follows. After this
the groom and his father proceed to the bride's house to escort
her out of the house, this symbolizes her final departure .
DEATH
CEREMONY
Every corpse should be cremated.
It is bathed and clean clothes are put on, preferably with all
5K's on.
After prayers, male relatives carry the corpse to the cremation
ground. The pyre is then lit by a son whilst hymns are sung
In India coffins are not used unlike in the West where they
are necessary and this has caused some concern A complete reading
of the Guru Granth Sahib then starts to end the ceremony
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