Sikhism Religion: Gurpurb

Attack on the heart of Sikhism, the militaristic and political values over the lives of the innocent shook the entire Sikh religion to its knees. In June 1984, rising tension between the Damdami Taksal led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwal and Indian Army, lead to an assault on the Golden Temple located in Amritsar, where the nationalist group was headquartered. Lasting ten days, the Operation and overall fighting left the death toll to an estimated of 490. The damage to the Golden Temple complex and Sikh community was catastrophic. Battles in the surrounding areas, in the streets where innocents where kept and the involvement of tanks made for the operation to be very chaotic and horrific. In the months following the operation, Indira Gandhi,

The Sikhs are devotees to Sikhism, Sikhism is the youngest of the world’s religion with 25 million followers. Sikhism is only five hundred years old. The founder of Sikhism is Guru Nank, he was born in 1469. Guru Nank spoke a message of “Ek Ong Kar”: we are all one, created by the One Creator of all Creation. Guru Nank was the first of the ten Gurus in Sikhism. Throughout my research I have discovered what each Guru represents to the Sikh community and where Sikhism originated from. The appearance of Sikh devotees is a very important part of the Punjabi Sikh culture. Sikhs are very misunderstood in America and when people see images of Sikhs they are often mistaken for Muslims or terrorists, which often times leads to hate crimes. I’ll be focusing on the history of the Sikhism, Sikhs appearance, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism. In the end I would like my audience to have an understanding of the Sikh religion, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism.

The Sikh people do not practice many examples of outward, external worship i especially those that may be troubling. They do practice one outward tradition, though, the wearing of the Five K's. The symbolism behind the five K's remains the focus of their practice. This tradition remains acceptable because it points the Sikh people to their worship, and reinforces the ethics of their religion. The five K's are consistent reminders of God and their devotion to Him. These five symbols include the Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera and Kirpan. The five K's is a tradition that dates back centuries and remain an important part of the Sikh tradition. The pieces help the people reflect on their religion, and focus on righteous living. They view wearing the five K's as a practice necessary for achieving union with God and displaying their devotion. Sikh people do not have to wear all 5 of the K's. Some may wear all of them, and some may only wear one. Many will try to wear as many as possible, although the practicality of the five K's has varied over time. The Kesh is uncut, or natural hair that is not styled. The Kesh is a style for both men and women. Usually, a turban or another fabric cloth that covers a topknot guards the hair. Sikh people recognize their creation by God, and aim to remain as natural as they were made. They believe one should not interfere with their God given form. This supports their belief that everyone is a creation of God, and acknowledges his creations should remain. The Kangha is a small comb that is worn to keep the hair neat. It is more of a practical piece rather than symbolic. The Kangha is mostly a tool that allows the Sikh people to wear their hair naturally and acknowledge their natural appearance and being. The Kara is an iron or steel bracelet that is worn by the Sikh people. It is worn always on the right wrist. The Kara represents both community and unity. The sense of community the Kara brings, is that of the Sikh people. When wearing the Kara, the people believe they are all unified as a singular community. It is an important aspect of the religion to serve each other and remain a unified body. The Kara represents a constant contact and unity with God, and a tool of

19. They celebrate many festivals whole year round. They do this to honor the gods and goddesses. The deities with the most number of festivals dedicated to them are Laxmi, Ganesha, Parvati, Shri Ram, Kartikeya, Hanuman, Shiva, Shri Krishna, and Vishnu. 20.

The Hindu then worships puja by giving flowers and fruits and finally the Hindu eats the blessed food. By following these steps Hindu believe they become closer to the deity. (asms.k12.ar.us) Hindu’s also have many festivals to celebrate their religion. Lohari is an example of one of the festivals. Lohari takes place in the winter at night in Northern India. The people build a bonfire and throw popcorn, peanuts and sesame candies into the fire. By throwing these objects into the fire it is symbolic by throwing one’s evil into the fire, and also asking for blessings for the following year. Holi is another celebration which is considered to be the celebration of the death of winter and the return on spring. (Fisher 105-106)

Religious Sikhs get up in the morning before dawn, take a bath, and then start praying. A Sikh is required to attend the Gurdwara as a part of their daily routine or often as possible. A religious Sikh is baptised known as “Amrit Shak”. Being Amrit Shak, you need to follow the meaning of the five K’s. The five K’s symbolize Sikhs who are dedicating themselves to the Guru. The five K’s are five physical symbols worn by Sikhs who are Amrit Shak. The five K's are Kesh, Kara, Kanga, Kaccha, and Kirpan. Kesh represents not to cut any part of your body hair. You are not allowed to cut your hair because

The final two groups are much smaller, but no less important to the modern demographic of Gullah culture. The fourth circle, known as the “Gullah Diaspora” refers to the “Black Seminoles”, whom are Gullah natives who fled to Florida centuries ago, and allied themselves with the Seminoles/Native American groups there. Lastly, the fifth circle is identified as the “Gullah Descendants”. This group is made up of those who were born or raised outside the low country, and

These rituals usually start as the sun rises. The tribe will start heading towards the shrine. When they reach it they will wait outside and start making food in honor off their god “Hawkeye”. They will also drink an elixir made out of barley, hops and yeast with water. The tribe believes this elixir brings the tribe closer together and allows the mind to talk their god more easily. They will continue to drink this elixir for hours until they have consumed enough to go to the shrine and start the religious ritual.

A pilgrimage is a journey for the search of moral or spiritual meaning. After reading the pilgrimage article about the three different people’s pilgrimages, these journeys’ seem to have had a major effect on the travelers’ aspect of religion. Embarking on these journeys’ can teach the followers a whole new side of their religion that they have never seen. The concept behind a pilgrimage to have an experience that recognizes the origin of their religion and comprehend and verify their beliefs. The goal at the end of the pilgrimage is to let go of their individuality and tap into a larger level of their religious community. This journey consists of different sites that have a very meaningful background in their religion. These sites have years of stories that connect to an emotional side of the religion. Different religions like Christianity, Hinduism, and Muslim are strong participators in this life changing experience they call a pilgrimage.

First of all, you will get to witness and be a part of many Hindu rituals. Rituals and practices are an element of TCREB from Anita Houck’s “Three tools for Studying Religion.” The TCREB chart “is a distillation of many different scholarly approaches to religion” (Houck). The chart

Just like any other culture the Indian culture had its own customs beliefs and practices. This beliefs and practices affect their lifestyles and interaction with the modern culture. One unique aspect of the Indian culture is their relation with guests. The Indians treat with high regards any guests that they host. They also hold close their economic status with preference for the wealthy status compared to the low and middle economic status. Religion is also highly held in the Indian culture. Indians hold the belief that god and goddesses are the drivers of one’s life.

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?

On January 1, 2016, the Sikh float is entered in the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California. The float, Vasakhi, is named after the harvest festival in Punjub, India where Sikh originated from. It features a display of cultural games, an ethic bazaar, foods, peacocks, embroideries, and a bearded Sikh man with a bright yellow turban on a white horse. Sikh Americans hoped that the float would influence others and give them an understanding of Sikh religion and its contributions to our society. Besides creating an awareness of the Sikh religion and culture, the float is used to display how diverse people are and how people need to appreciate and accept that difference.

In Hindu thought, even the most seemingly mundane of activities could have a deeper underlying meaning or purpose. The activities surrounding food, although certainly not unimportant as the consumption of food is necessary for the survival of humanity, are an example of a seemingly mundane and uncomplicated process that Hindu thought attributes a deeper meaning or purpose to. Not all Hindus will necessarily have the same identical perception of food as differing beliefs and backgrounds will undoubtedly lead to varying views across the numerous Hindu denominations such as the Ascetics, Brahman Householders, Tantric Shakti and the ISKCON. The ultimate goals sought by its devotees; and the beliefs that ultimately cascade from them, play a huge role in forging the religion’s approach in regards to food. The beliefs, thoughts and goals of a Hindu denomination play a substantial role in shaping how food is: produced, consumed, ritualized, and symbolically viewed.

Eid Al-Adha, an Arabic term meaning “the feast of sacrifice”, is one of the prominent and holy days of Islamic celebration that takes place annually. Eid Al-Adha celebration begins after the leaving of the pilgrims performing the Hajj the Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. All Muslims around the world celebrate Eid Al-Adha to show respect to the willingness of Abraham, the Muslims’ prophet. In Afghanistan, Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Adha in various ways. Mostly, their customs and traditions are based on three performances through all the Eid days; that is, Morning Prayer, Family and Relatives Eid greetings. Each of the above performances has its own special way and time to be performed. The examples show that in addition to having dependency and faith to Islamic customs, Afghanistan has its own special independent tradition of the celebrating Eid Al-Adha.