HISTORY OF SIKHS

History of Sikhs

Who are Sikhs?

Sikhism was founded 500 years ago and honestly that is not too long ago.

Sikh people are peaceful and believe that there is only one God. Their point in life is to form a union with God. Sikhism underlines the significance of equality between all races and between women and men. Sikhs who are baptized have to wear the five articles of faith which are the following: Kesh, Kanga, Kachera, Kara, and Kirpan. Yes, they all do start with K. Kesh is uncut hair, Kanga is a wooden comb, Kachera are cotton undergarments, Kara is a iron bracelet, and Kirpan is an iron dagger. I actually used to wear a Kara everyday until it gave me a slight rash. The Kara symbolizes eternity and your connection to God.

Resources: http://www.sikhs.org/summary.htm

The 7 Elements of Sikh Culture

Social Organization: Sikhs don't have a caste system of any sort and look for equality among all people. Our culture emphasizes the importance of family. Even after turning 18, we stay as a unit in one house. The only reasons why we would not stay in the same house is because of college or a job. Money is also something that is shared completely. It doesn’t matter which family member brings in the income, as long as everyone contributes. Another interesting point is that according to the Sikh religion, women and men are equals but personally I don’t always see it that way in my family. The women usually do the cooking and cleaning while the men provide for the family.

Language: The punjabi language is mainly spoken in East Punjab in India and west Punjab in Pakistan. The punjabi language is close to Hindi which is a little “softer” than punjabi. Punjabi is written with the Gurmukhi alphabet and was developed by Guru Angad Dev Ji (second guru). The language itself is essential to the punjabi culture. Everyday communication among the Sikh people, requires knowing how to speak punjabi. Also, punjabi is incorporated in the music which is also an important part of the Punjabi culture.

Religion: The basic goal of Sikhism is to form a union with God. As Sikhs, we believe in one god (Monotheism) but we have ten gurus we also look up to. From a young age, I was taught to be honest, kind, and good. For Sikhs to follow Sikhism is to have their moral compass pointing north. Sikhs basically try to form a union with God by following the teachings in the Guru Granth Sahib ( the holy book). By praying and remaining “good”, Sikhs go through their life trying to connect to God.

Customs and Traditions: There are many customs and traditions and many involve the temple. The “rules of behavior” for Sikhs lies mostly on respect. Respecting elders as well as yourself is the key. When entering the temple for example, Sikhs show their respect by taking off their shoes and bowing down to the holy book Marriage is also associated with the temple. The marriage occurs at the temple and a prayer is read in the process. The prayer is separated into four parts and the couple circles around the holy book each time one part of the prayer is read. One interesting component of Sikhism is that most males have the last name Singh, meaning lion and most females have the last name Kaur, meaning princess.

Arts and Literature:Bhangra is a type of dance that originates from the Punjab region in India. This form of dance is very upbeat and usually done at different festivities like weddings. Music is also another form of art that is a central part of the punjabi culture. The prayers that are recited at the holy temple are actually sung and many instruments like the tabla are included in the prayer. Music outside of the temple is very upbeat and full of rhythm. Dance and music are utilized to bring the Sikh culture to every event.

Economic Systems:The economic system in India is primarily a market economy. However, The Sikh belief on economy is that it should be far from government regulation and capitalism. Additionally, numerous Sikh temples donate to charity and try to stay away from capitalism. The Sikh teachings focus on sharing and contributing to the community.

Forms of Government: Sikhism promotes democracy because its belief lies strongly in equality. If there is one leader then that may lead to wrong judgement because there is only one view being used. If there are more people, a decision based on what the people want will result in more peace and unity. The core beliefs of Sikhism lie on peace and equality and in order to accomplish that, there must be a democracy.