Sikh Customs

[Kona_Silat]

I have been invited to prayer with some Sikh's. The problem is I don't know the customs: what I should wear or bring. Anyone here help me out?

[wheelworks]

Originally Posted by Kona_Silat

I have been invited to prayer with some Sikh's. The problem is I don't know the customs: what I should wear or bring. Anyone here help me out?

you gotta first take 10 years to grow your hair super long and then tie it up with a turban

[psychoteddybear]

Can you really and sincerely be that dense?

[MasterONaniFiqh]

In my experience, most of the Sikhs I have met have been very kind, curteous and intelligent people. They worship one god, like us, and have tended to adhere to their customs faithfully. Most of the customs I am aware of, though, are personal customs to be adhered to by Sikhs themselves, such as the wearing of certain items, etc. In terms of dress, they actually tend to dress in modest South Asian style dress at times, much like Muslims. To say hello to them the greeting they use is "Saat-siri-akaal" (with the double a being a soft a sound like in "hut"). It means something to the effect of the truth is one.

Their relationship with Islam and Muslims is an interesting one, historically, and contains both instances of antagonism and like-mindedness at times. In recent history there is not as much antagonism between the two groups, I think. Though, of course, on both sides there is always an element that insists on being unpleasant toward people of other communitites.

[Revert]

Act as you would as a guest in anyone elses house. Be polite, courteous and well mannered.

I had a few Sikh friends as a kid apart from speaking punjabi theres not much difference.

[Bluestar]

There's not much to their praying. You kind of sit in a hall and listen to a leader speak, like an imam or sheikh would. Then you all eat, it's great, they have great food all vegetarian but really tasty and for dessert they usually have rice pudding.

Kind of like being at an indian wedding.

[Kona_Silat]

I usually hate Indian food but the food was great at their service.

[Purple_alien]

What was the service like? I'm curious. The only Sikh service I have ever seen was in Bend it like Beckham, and well, was that even a Sikh Service?

[Aryan_]

Don't forget to meet the person controlling the sikh. He lives in the ball inside the turban.



It's where they got the idea for men in black from.

[Timbit]

Hmmm, k. Well, most likely it'll be at the gurdwara, so you just show up in decent clothes (be covered). You don't have to cover your head 'cause there'll be small cloth/bandanna type of things there and they'll loan you one.

The actual worship is in a big room where the men sit on one side and the women on the other. You can sit and listen to the hymns and just reflect quietly. If you want, you can walk down the aisle in the middle all the way to the front of the room and pray. That's where the Guru Granth Sahib (a book) is. It's treated the way a deity would be treated because there are men around it who are fanning it and that's where the devotional singers/musicians are too (right beside it). Make sure when you walk back from the Guru Granth Sahib, you do not turn your back towards it. Walk backwards, okay? At no point should your back be towards the front of the room. It's very disrespectful.

And yeah, that's about it. Afterwards you can sit and eat at the langar, where they provide a vegetarian meal that people can sit and eat together.

I went to a gurdwara with my friend once; it was nice. 'Cept I didn't pray obviously, but observed more like and took pictures and stuff. We were doing a project for school.