sikh festivals Flashcards
what is a gurpurb
-guru means teacher, purb means holiday
-they’re holy days in honour of gurus, birthdays and death days
how are gurpurbs celebrated?
-they worship in the gurdwara
-akhand path
-sewa
-street processions
-banners are put up
-fireworks
why is the akhand path important?
-after guru gobind singh had finished making the ggs he had five sikhs read it out for him without stopping which took 48 hours
-he listened to the whole thing without stopping
what is sewa?
-giving money to charity
-on gurpurbs doctors give out free blood tests and dentists give out free check ups
-sikhs give food to the poor and help with langar in the gurdwara
when is guru nanaks birthday celebrated?
november
when is guru gobind singhs birthday?
january
how are the birthdays celebrated in india?
- gurdwaras, shops, offices and home are lit with candles
-families gather at the gurdwara for prayers food, festivities and stories
-processions will take place before dawn called parbhat feri led by the panj pyares
-this is followed by the karah prashad (sugary paste)
-and fireworks
when was guru arian martyred and how is he remembered?
-on june 16th
-sewa
-sweets and chilled drinks
-akhand path
-processions with the ggs
-meditation with his message of peace
-kirtan (hymns)
-katha (religious talks)
when is guru tegh bahadur remembered and how?
-november 24th
-processions
-music and dancing
-gatka (martial arts)
-passages of the ggs are read
-special morning hymns are sang called asa di var
-katha
-pilgrimage to delhi where he was killed
what is a mela?
-mela means fair
-celebrations that happen at the same time as hindu festivals like diwali and holi
what is diwali and where did it come from?
-celebrated by sikhs and hindus
-shortened from deepavali=row of lights
-lighting clay lamps/divas
-oil represents victory of good over evil
-for sikhs it’s a celebration of freedom
what is bandi chor divas?
it is celebrated on the same day as diwali and means prisoner release day
what is the original story of bandi chor divas?
-guru hargobind visited a prison and saw how badly the prisoners were treated
-the emperor said he could take the amount that could hold onto his coat
-he made a coat with 52 tassels and took all the prisoners into freedom
-after guru went to the golden temple to celebrate diwali
-everyone lit lamps to celebrate
why is diwali celebrated for sikhs?
it’s a celebration of freedom
-a day of liberation and remembers good triumphing over evil
how do sikhs celebrate diwali?
-akhand path
-street processions
-fireworks
-homes are spring cleaned
-lamps are lit
-new clothes are worn
-presents are given
-stories about guru hargobind and bhai mani singh are told
in india how else to sikhs celebrate diwali?
-bonfires
-t he golden temple is decorated with lights
-langars are held in the open
-they float diva lamps across rivers for good luck
what is vaisakhi and how did it originate?
-it is the sikh new year
-it was an ancient harvest festival
-the khalsa was formed at vaisakhi in 1699
how is vaisakhi celebrated?
-akhand path
-prayers
-services
-sewa in the langar
-readings about the first vaisakhi
what happens at a vaisakhi procession?
-martial arts
-dancing and music
-carrying the ggs on a float
-petals and perfume are thrown onto the road and roads are cleaned as the ggs comes out
-free food and drinks
-jalebi is given away
what happens to the sikh flag (nishan sahib) at vaisakhi?
-it’s taken down and a new one is put up
-the material is taken off the pole and replaced
-the pole is washed with yoghurt and water (symbol of purity and cleanliness)
what else is done in india to celebrate vaisakhi?
-massive doses with sports competitions and martial arts
-some sikhs bathe in holy rivers
-at anandpur special celebrations occur
what is amritsanskar?
-the ceremony of becoming a khalsa sikh
-the person gets baptised with amrit (sugary water)
