REVIEW ABOUT ONE OF THE ETHNIC GROUP – The Sikh

 1.4.5.1 Background of the ethnic/ History

 1.4.5.2 Languages
 1.4.5.3 Festivals and Celebrations
 1.4.5.4 Marriage Rituals
 1.4.5.5 Traditional Costumes
 1.4.5.6 Traditional Food
 1.4.5.7 Culture
 1.4.6 Part 2: Group REFLECTION
 Experience gain working in a group. Explain with examples.
 Challenges faced working in a group. Explain with examples.
 Lessons that you had learned by working in a group. Explain with
examples.
Guru Nanak (1469–1539), founder of
Sikhism, was born to Mehta Kalu and
Mata Tripta, in the village of Talwandi,
now called Nankana Sahib, near
Lahore.Guru Nanak was a religious leader
and social reformer. However, Sikh
political history may be said to begin with
the death of the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan
Dev, in 1606.
Religious practices were
formalised by Guru Gobind Singh
on 30 March 1699. Gobind Singh
initiated five people from a
variety of social backgrounds,
known as the Panj Piare (the five
beloved ones) to form the
Khalsa,or collective body of
initiated Sikhs. During the period
of Mughal rule in India (1556–
1707) several Sikh gurus were
killed by the Mughals for
opposing their persecution of
minority religious communities
including Sikhs.Sikhs subsequently
militarized to oppose Mughal
rule.
Punjabi Language is the language of
Sikh
 Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over 100 million native
speakers worldwide, ranking as the 10th most widely spoken
language (2015)in the world.
 It is the native language of the Punjabi people, who associate with
the historical Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Among Indo-
European languages, it is unusual due to the use of lexical tone.
 Punjabi is the most common native language in Pakistan,
the 11th most widely spoken in India, and the third most-
spoken native language in the Indian Subcontinent.

 Punjabi is the fifth most-spoken native language (after

English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese) in Canada. It
also has a significant presence in the United Arab
Emirates, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New
Zealand, Italy, & Netherlands.
 QNA
Which language is the language of Sikh?
Punjabi
VAISAKHI
Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi or Vasakhi is a
historical and religious festival in Sikhism and has
its distinct significance for reach culture. It is
celebrated on either 13 or 14 April every year
depending on which calendar is used Bikrami or
Nanakshahi calendar and Mool Nanakshahi calendar.
For Sikhs, Vaisakhi marks the foundation of
the Khalsa community of Sikhs, on 14 April
1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, when he created
the sword baptism, the pahul or Amrit
Sanchar. The Khalsa was founded as an order
to protect the freedom of conscience and
religion for all, with qualities of a ‘’Sant-
Sipahi- a saint soldier. Vaisakhi also marks
celebration of the spring harvest and has
been an ancient festival of the Punjab.
On Vaisakhi day, gurdwaras are
decorated and hold satsangs
(congregations) community fairs and
nagar kirtan processions are held and
people gather to socialize and share
festive foods. For people of Punjab,
the festival is their traditional
solar new year, a harvest festival and
they may visit temples, meet friends
and party over festive foods.
For the Sikhs, the Vaisakhi celebration embodies the spirit of liveliness and spirituality. Most Sikh

men will be dressed in their best attire with neat kurtas (traditional attire for men) and turbans,

while the women will wear the salwar-kameez (traditional dress) to the gurdwara.

A girl attending special prayers during

the Vaisakhi festival at the Gurdwara
Sahib temple in Klang, Selangor. – The
Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua
Zulkefli, April 15, 2017 2017
The Sikh community, a subgroup of the Malaysian
Indian ethnic race, is an ethnoreligious in Malaysia,
which is why Vaisakhi is not a public holiday.
However, in line with government’s effort to promote
intergration among the country’s different ethnic
and religious group, the Prime Minister Najib Razak
has announced that beginning 2013, all government
A band performs at Vaisakhi
servants from the Sikh Malaysian Indian community
day celebrations in Kuala
will be given a day off on Vaisakhi Day. Lumpur (2013)
 OBSERVANCE OUTSIDE
INDIA – UNITED
KINGDOM

The United Kingdom has a large Sikh

community originating from the

Indian sub-continent, East Africa

and Afghanistan. The Birmingham

Nagar Kirtan is held on a Sunday a

week or two before Vaisakhi.

Vaisakhi is celebrated with great

fervour, people wake up early, wear

new clothes, visit Gurudwara and

offer prayers, recite religious songs

and hymns. In the evening people visit

their relatives and friends and exchange

sweets and gifts

QNA
When is Vasakhi?
13 or 14 of April
The Sikh Wedding rituals themselves often take place in a temple, such as a
gurudwara. The marriage hall is called the pandal. It is where family and friends
gather to watch the bride and groom officially join together as a married couple. The
ceremony is often held in a gurudwara, or a Sikh temple.
 After the groom is dressed in his wedding attire, he mounts a white horse -
decorated with colourful adornments as well to the pandal. The horse must
be white, as it represents peace and submissiveness of the powerful horse to
the groom. The groom looks truly royal during the baraat, as his family sings
folk songs and dances before his departure.

 Nowadays, many Sikh grooms only ride a short distance to the wedding hall,
or arrive in a flower decorated car instead. The guests who are involved in
the baraat have a privileged status and are often members of the groom's
family or close friends. The men will usually cover their heads for this formal
occasion.
The officiating custodian brings out a Guru Granth Sahib decorated in beautiful cloth. All guests in the
marriage hall remove their shoes and cover their heads. Guests will all bow to the Guru Granth Sahib, and
some offer token money.

The bride's family guides both the groom and then the bride to a
cushion, mattress, or raised platform (mandap) where the
ceremonies will begin. In ancient custom, the bride has her face
covered by a veil to protect her from the evil eye, but the groom
removes his sehra at this point
QNA
What is the marriage hall called?
Pandal

The Sikh ceremony often held in where?

Sikh Temple or gurudwara
What do Sikhs wear?
The traditional attire of Sikhs dates back centuries.

Sixth Guru Har Gobind initiated the warrior the

tradition of wearing two swords which are depicted

in the khanda, or Sikh crest. The Sikh code of

conduct specifies the wearing of kachhera and a

turban for all Sikh males, giving Sikh females the

option of wearing a headscarf to cover hair. The

name for such traditional spiritual attire is bana.

Bana is the word for the traditional
spiritual attire of a Sikh. Many Sikhs
wear ceremonial bana when
attending worship programs and
ritual ceremonies at the
gurdwara, or during holidays and
festivals. Very devout Sikhs may
wear bana of traditional colors
every day.
A Chola is the name of a particular style of

bana worn traditionally by Sikh warriors. It is

a kind of dress or robe which has a wide

flared skirt made with panels to allow for

freedom of movement. A famous story tells

how Guru Har Rai, snagged his chola on a

rose bush, and the lesson of self-mastery it

entailed.
QNA
What is the attire for the warrior?
Chola
What is the spiritual attire for Sikh?
Bana
Staapu is a children's game that can be played with several

players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game in

which players toss a small object into numbered triangles or a

pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or

jump through the spaces to retrieve the object.

QNA
What is the traditional games of Sikh?
Staapu