Life-Cycle Rituals

In the chapter’s opening description of the Amrit Sanchar, the Khalsa initiation ceremony, we witnessed an example of a Sikh ritual that marks a certain point in the individual’s life and does so through detailed actions and rich symbolism that are steeped in tradition.

Birth and Naming

On the birth of a child, Khalsa Sikhs can choose to undertake a ritual that resembles an aspect of the initiation ceremony. A sweet drink is made by stirring water and sweets with a kirpan (the short sword, one of the Five Ks), while reciting from the Japji. A few drops are given to the baby, and the rest is drunk by the mother.

A short time after giving birth, the parents and child proceed to the gurdwara, where hymns are sung and the Adi Granth is opened randomly. The child’s first name is chosen based on the first letter that appears on the left-hand page of the Adi Granth, the letter with which the name is to begin. If the child is a girl, she is also given the name Kaur; if male, he is given the name Singh. The names Singh or Kaur normally correspond to an English last name. No distinction is made between girls’ and boys’ first names. The “last name” of Kaur or Singh serves to make this distinction.

Tying a Turban

When a boy reaches the age of ten or eleven, Sikh families often undertake a ceremonial tying of his first turban. This act symbolizes the great respect that Sikhs hold for the turban. Even though wearing the turban is not technically required, it is regarded as a natural corollary of kes, not cutting one’s hair (one of the Five Ks). Indeed, because one’s hair is typically kept inside the turban, it is really the turban, not the hair, that is the most visible sign that one is a Sikh.

Traditionally, the turban is tied in a specific way that is both easy to do (once one has learned how) and effective, keeping the turban securely on the head. The style and color of the turban may sometimes indicate regional, political, or religious affiliation. The turban is generally considered to be highly practical, providing protection both from the summer sun and from the cold of winter. Women rarely wear turbans; instead, they traditionally wear a scarf or veil that can be used to cover the head.

Marriage Proper Sikh marriage, according to the traditions established by the Khalsa, is arranged by the parents of a child of marriageable age through the assistance of a relative, who seeks out a suitable spouse and sets up meetings with the families. The parents thus can become acquainted with their child’s potential bride or groom. The same type of meeting takes place with the other set of parents. Once both families have agreed on a match, the marriage ceremony is planned. According to the Rahit, a Sikh woman is only to be married to a Sikh, but no account whatsoever is to be taken of caste status. In actual practice, however, there are many exceptions. Caste status commonly dictates the choice of marriage partners, and Sikhs (men more commonly than women) sometimes marry outside the tradition. As we have remarked previously, common practice by no means always complies with Khalsa ideals.

The ceremony takes place at the gurdwara, with Sri Guru Granth Sahib the central focal point, just as it is in everyday worship. First seated before the Adi Granth during the singing of hymns, the couple then stands and receives instruction in the teachings of the Gurus on marriage, nodding their assent to the Adi Granth, and afterward walking around it. This focus on the scripture exemplifies the central role that the Adi Granth is to play in the life of the married couple.

The ceremony concludes, like other worship services in the gurdwara, with the distribution of karah prasad, the special pudding made of wheat flour, sugar, and ghee.

Death

Traditional Sikh mourning rituals center on the process of cremation. The body is washed and dressed in clean clothing and adorned with the Five Ks. A hymn is recited, and the body is carried to the cremation grounds, which women do not enter. The funeral pyre is lit by a son or other male relative or friend, while the other mourners sing funeral hymns. The Kirtan Sohila, the prayer that is recited daily when retiring for the evening, is then sung.

Once the fire has burned out, the ashes are recovered and are either buried there at the cremation site or immersed in running water. Then the entire Adi Granth is read, within a period of ten days if possible. (The Rahit specifies that a full reading takes forty-eight hours, if done without interruption.)

As noted previously in the section on Sikhs in the diaspora, such traditional practices are modified today in places where laws prohibit outdoor cremations.