Did you Know?!

Did you know “Sewa” means “Voluntary Service”?

Holidays and Practices for Sikhism

Sikhs have lots and lots of things they do for religious practice. For example they do lots of things with the holy book. The Guru Granth Sahib is covered with a white cloth. The cloths on the holy book are changed to clean ones. Someone covers their head with a rumula and carries the holy book on their head. A group carries the holy book to the Diwan Hall Throne. After it is there, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened to any page and the top left hand corner is read aloud. At the top left hand corner is the Vak, which is the spiritual message of the day. They also do Ardas. The Ardas is the the special prayer of guidance from God. Whenever there is a very important time, the Ardas is read aloud.

The Gurdwara is a special place where Sikhs do their religious practice. The days in the Gurdwara begin very early. They start the days at 4-5am, that’s also when they gather to pray. Before they enter the Gurdwara, they must bathe and take off their shoes. They must bow in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. After bowing, an offering is placed by the throne, usually food or langar. Then they sit cross-legged in front of the throne, with different genders sitting on different sides of the throne. Everyone is treated equal and there is no specific seating other than the separation of genders. Others who have finished praying they sit in langar room beside anyone. People always go to the Gurdwara during the day, at any time. You receive guidance from the Vak, which is written on a board in the Gurdwara. The last ceremony of the day is in the Gurdwara. The Gurdwara is a place for worship and a community center, and means “The Door to the Guru”. The main purpose for the Gurdwara is to gain “Sangat” which means “fellowship”.

Sikhs also volunteer for religious practice. Voluntary service can be through helping with money, helping with one’s mind, and helping with one’s body. Being treated equal is a huge part of their religion. There is no priests because everyone is

one with god. Kesh is uncut hair if you have Kesh, you are considered a living harmony with nature. Kara is a steel bangle (a bracelet), if you have a Kara, you have a strong bond with god. The Kanga is a comb. The kanga helps keep uncut hair tidy, also helps with Kesh. Kirpan is the sword of compassion; if you have it you must protect those in need. Lastly, you practice by Pray/Singing. Kirtan is singing. A praise song, Kirtan Sohila is a prayer read aloud. Kirtan Sohila is the last prayer of the day. You can also sing hymns during a ceremony called Prakash. Prakash is the opening of the holy book, it means “Making the Light Manifest”.

There are three major festivals in the Sikh religion, they are Baisakhi, Diwali, and Holi. Guru Amar suggested that Sikhs should celebrate together during Baisakhi and Diwali. Gobind Singh said that they should also celebrate during Holi. Diwali is a light festival in October or November. On that day, someone saved 52 princes and gave them freedom. Baisakhi is the biggest festival that is celebrated on April 13 or 14th. Baisakhi marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated in spring. Baisakhi first began in 1567 C.E. During Baisakhi you renew the Nishan Sahib, which is the flag. There are certain thing they have at festivals. Akhand Path is at every festival, may have Nagar Kirtan. At a festival you always drink Amrit from the same bowl as everyone else. Amrit is a drink that is a mixture of sugar and water. The Amrit is stirred by the Khanda. Khanda is a two edged sword use for stirring Amrit. There are two birthdays they celebrate. One is the birthday of Guru Nanak. The other is The Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh. Another festival they celebrate is Hola Mohalla. Hola Mohalla is celebrated in March or February. Hola Mohalla is held the day after Holi. There are two types of festivals, Gurpurbs and Melas. Gurpurbs are “Guru Days”, and are marked days connected with the Gurus. Mela means “Fair”. The last thing is they gather. They gather to listen to the Gurus speak. But now they read the poetry that is in the Guru Granth Sahib, their holy book, because that is the new guru.

Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book for the Sikhs. This is a picture of it.

Kesh

Kirpan

Kara Kanga

Works Cited

Chambers, Catherine. Beliefs and Cultures Sikh. New York: Children’s, 1995. Print

Penney, Sue. Sikhism. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2001. Print.

Singh, Kanwar Ranvir., and Steve Clarke. Religions to InspiRE for KS3: Sikhism. London:

Hodder Education, 2012. Print.

"Festivals 2015." - Famous Festivals and Holidays. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"Flickriver - A New Way to View Flickr Photos and More..." Flickriver - A New Way to View Flickr Photos

and More... N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"Sikh Museum History Heritage Sikhs." Sikh Museum History Heritage Sikhs. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"Welcome!" SAT NAM Products for Yoga, Ayurveda, Health, Wellness and Lifestyle. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov.

2015.

"KaurLife.org | Inspiration. Exploration. Faith." Kaur Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Trust UK." Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Trust UK Home Comments. N.p., n.d. Web.

10 Nov. 2015.