Milestone Short Description
Birth
  • A few wks after the child is born, parents present the child to the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib
  • They bring ROMALA (a pc of embroidered material to the Sahib), and money
  • The Granthi, offers Ardas, prayers and blessings
  • NAMING CEREMONY (Nam Karam), the Sahib is opened at random, a hymn to where the page opens is read, the first word of hymn becomes the 1st initial of the child’s name
  • Sometimes Amrit, honey, and water mix has a Kirpan dipped in it and then placed on the tongue of the child, a reminder to all that this child will be raised in the faith
  • Anand Sahib, a closing prayer of thanksgiving
Amritsanshkar
  • One of the most imp ceremony; is like a baptism – a time a person makes a public commitment to the faith and become a member of Khalsa
  • It is like the Panj Pyare: 5 Sikhs recite the duties and vows, the young person kneels in an archer position signifying his/her willingness to defend the faith
  • Amrit is poured into eyes and hair, and the rules of Khalsa are explained
  • Once complete food is given to celebrate
Marriage
  • Marriages are often arranged because marriage is seen as a sacred institution
  • Once partners have been picked, the bride’s father with relatives goes to meet the groom’s parents, gifts are exchanged. This publicly shows the alliance of the 2 families and ensures promises are kept
  • Anand Karaj – the ceremony of bliss; Sahib text is witness to the marriage
  • Can take place at the bride’s home or the Gurdwara – the groom faces the Takht, and wears a special scarf; the bride sits on his left side
  • They stand together and are told about how sacred marriage is and are given blessings
  • The father of the bride puts garlands of flowers around the couple and places the groom’s scarf on the bride’s hand
  • The Lavan, marriage hymn is recited
Funerals
  • Death is not believed to be the end in Sikhism; they believe in reincarnation – the movement of the soul into another body
  • The dying person is told to repeat Waheguru, Waheguru (wonderful Lord) in order to console the dying soul
  • Death is seen as another form of sleep
  • When the person dies their body is cremated immediately; the mourning period lasts for up to ten days
  • There are no monuments or stones put on the person’s grave because Skihs do not believe the earth to be the final place of rest
Cite this article as: William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team), "Sikh Milestones: Birth, Amritsanshkar, Marriage, Funerals," in SchoolWorkHelper, 2021, https://schoolworkhelper.net/sikh-milestones-birth-amritsanshkar-marriage-funerals/.

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Author: William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)

Tutor and Freelance Writer. Science Teacher and Lover of Essays. Article last reviewed: 2020 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2021 | Creative Commons 4.0

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Terry
Terry
10 years ago

Knowledge wants to be free, just like these articles!

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