OK, I don't want to sound insensitive, thats why I never asked my aquantence who's pictured in a photograph with me below.
What is the meaning of the turban?
What is the meaning of the beard?
What is the meaning of the red dot?
I don't know if these are all the same religion or not thats why i thought i would ask here instead of looking stupid or offending him by asking these things. Last one I asked him he answered abruptly, it was about his language, I thought he was speaking something else, but he was speaking panjabi.
Edited to reduce photo size
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
Posts: 2737 | Location: USA | Registered: 06-07-02
A 'Sikh['siːk] or ['sɪk]; Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ, sikkh, IPA: ['sɪk.kʰ]) is an adherent to Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit "shishya", which means disciple or learner. A Sikh can easily be recognized by his turban, beard, or by a steel bracelet on the wrist.
According to the definition of Sikh laid down by the Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of conduct), a Sikh is one who believes in One God and teachings of the 10 Gurus. He is the one who considers 11th Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal teacher and believes in the Amrit process set by Guru Gobind Singh.
Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region of Pakistan and India, although significant communities exist around the world.
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The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that baptised Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. The Five Ks are not merely symbols but articles of faith which collectively form the external visible symbols to identify and clearly and outwardly advertise and display one's commitment.
ਕਛਕੜਾਕਿਰਪਾਨਕੰਘਾਕੇਸਕੀਇਹਪੰਜਕਕਾਰੀਰਹਿਤਧਾਰੇਸਿਖਸੋਈ “Kachh (Special designed undergarment), Kara (iron bangle), Kirpaan (strapped sword), Kangha (wooden comb) & Kes (uncut hair) – A person who wears all these Five Kakaars (Articles of Faith) should be considered a Sikh.” - (Rehitnaama Bhai Chaupa Singh)
1. Kesh Uncut hair on any part of the body for men and women is mandatory and the most important
2. Kanga (Wooden comb) for hygiene and maintenance of the Kesh.
3. Kara (Steel bracelet) Physical reminder that a Sikh is bound to the Guru.
4. Kachhera (Specially designed cotton underwear) Naturally comfortable and dignified attire reflective of modesty and high moral character.
5. Kirpan (Strapped sword) Worn to defend one's faith and protect the weak, reminding one of his or her duty as a Khalsa. _______________
Sikhs fought in both World Wars, such as, fighting in disproportionately large numbers, approximately 10 fold,[4] in both World War One and World War Two for the allies in the liberation of Europe and displaying exceptional gallantry and heroism. This resulted in them winning one of the highest per capita number of Victoria crosses for bravery, heroism and gallantry.[5]
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has described the Battle of Saragarhi, and the Sikh officers and soldiers (British Empire Army) who fought in it (listed below), as one of eight all time stories of collective bravery in human history.[6] The contingent of the twenty-one Sikhs was led by Havildar Ishar Singh, and all chose to fight to the death instead of surrendering. In recognition of their supreme sacrifice, the British Parliament rose to pay them respect, and each one of them was awarded the Indian Order of Merit. In the West, it has been compared to the Battle of Thermopylae. Sikh military personnel and Sikh non-military people commemorate the battle around the World every year on September 12th, it is referred to as "Saragarhi Day".
If he is like the couple of Sikhs I have known, or the few I have read about, do not argue with him. It's really not worth it.
Hindu women wear a red dot bindi which symbolizes being married. Hindu men wear an elongated dot which symbolizes the Third Eye. The Talika/Tilika is a mark which is worn by people of many faiths.
I work with a Hindu woman who wears a red bindi on her forehead. It kind of looks like a red jewel sticker. I have also seen her wear different colored dots to match her outfit. Her husband who wears a turban sometimes wears a talika. I'm thinking he wears one for religious reasons. He has turbans in every color imaginable. The turban he wears is actually one piece like a hat. He doesn't wrap his head around it; he just put it over his head. (I asked)
Posts: 5325 | Location: The Motor City | Registered: 06-03-02
Originally posted by DorianGreyed: Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region of Pakistan and India, although significant communities exist around the world.
The sikhs i believe originated from Punjab in the subcontinent during the time of the Mughals. After the partition all (or most) of them moved towards the Indian side of Punjab. There are not many sikhs in Pakistan anymore. They do visit Lahore each year to their relegious thing on their founder's tomb (i believe).
quote:
Originally posted by DorianGreyed: If he is like the couple of Sikhs I have known, or the few I have read about, do not argue with him. It's really not worth it.
I have met only one sikh and he seemed a regular person. I have no statistics but I tell you more than 50% of the dirty and dumb jokes in the subcontinent are made on sikhs. I dont know if they know that.
My comment was not meant as an insult to Sikhs. As I mentioned before, they are known for their courage, and, judging by the ones I knew, do not take insults lightly.
Originally posted by DorianGreyed: My comment was not meant as an insult to Sikhs. As I mentioned before, they are known for their courage, and, judging by the ones I knew, do not take insults lightly.
see a regular person . I am sorry if it looked like i was accusing you of something. I have been for over a year now and i think i can usually trust the intention of your points. I will finish here with a sikh jokes i heard:
A sikh teenager goes to his girl friend and says, 'babe tonight all the family is going out on a wedding, so come to my house at night. It should be fun'. The girl friend comes at night and there is no one at home.
I just got another Sardar (Sikh) joke in an email. It was funny and so putting it here.
Subject: [Research] who says sardars r dumb!!!
A Sardar and an American are seated next to each other on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. The American asks if he would like to play a fun-game.
The Sardar, tired, just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The American persists and explains that the game is easy and a lot of fun.
He says, “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and vice versa.”
Again, the Sardar declines and tries to get some sleep.
The American, now worked up, says, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $500.”
This gets the sardar’s attention and, figuring there will be no end to this torment, agrees to the game.
The American asks the first question, “What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?”
The Sardar doesn’t say a word, reaches into his wallet, pulls out a $5 bill and hands it to the American.
“Okay,” says the American, “Your turn.”
So the Sardar asks, “What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?”
The American thinks about it. No answer.
Puzzled, he takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. No answer!
He taps into the air-phone with his modem and searches the Internet and the Library of Congress. No answer.
Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his friends and co-workers.
Checks the input. All to no avail!
Finally, a long time later, he wakes the Sardar and hands him $500.
The Sardar thanks him and turns back to get his sleep.
The American, more than a little miffed, stirs the Sardar and asks,
“Well, what’s the answer?” Without a word, the Sardar reaches into his purse, hands the American $5, and goes back to sleep!
I found some neat stuff about forehead dots here, also some other interesting things about Hinduism. Hindu site. The forehead dot had its origin in very early times.
"It represents the third eye of spiritual sight, which sees things the physical eyes cannot see. Hindus seek to awaken their inner sight through yoga. The forehead dot is a reminder to use this spiritual vision to perceive and better understand life's inner workings -- to see things not just physically, but with the "mind's eye" as well."
Both men and women use it. "Why do we wear the pottu, the red dot between our eyes? The dot worn on the forehead is a sign that one is a Hindu. It is called bindi in the Hindi language, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in Tamil."
"In olden days, all Hindu men and women wore these marks, and they both also wore earrings. Today it is the women who are most faithful in wearing the bindi."
But the customs have evolved:
"There are many types of forehead marks, or tilaka , in addition to the simple dot. Each mark represents a particular sect or denomination of our vast religion. We have four major sects: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Vaishnava Hindus, for example, wear a V-shaped tilaka made of clay. Elaborate tilakas are worn by Hindus mainly at religious events, though many wear the simple bindi, indicating they are Hindu, even in the general public. By these marks we know what a person believes, and therefore how to begin and conduct our conversations."
And they're still changing:
"For Hindu women, the forehead dot is also a beauty mark, not unlike the black beauty mark European and American women once wore on the cheek. The red bindi is generally a sign of marriage. A black bindi is often worn before marriage to ward off the evil eye. The bindi is sometimes used as an exotic fashion statement, its color carefully chosen to complement the color of a lady's sari. Ornate bindis are sometimes worn by actresses in popular American TV shows." The article compares the use of the forehead dot to the use of the crucifix or the yarmulka:
"It is common in many religions to identify one's beliefs by wearing distinctive religious symbols. Often these are blessed in their temples, churches or synagogues. Jewish men wear the round skull cap, yarmulka. Christians wear a cross or medal on a necklace or coat lapel. In some countries, Muslim women still cover their face with a veil."
Footnote: Sikhs also use the forehead dot. Their religion broke off from Hinduism only recently, though -- in the 15th cntury. So no doubt one of the beliefs they kept was the third-eye symbol. Or it might be just a custom. "Some married women, like their Hindu counterparts, may also wear a Bindi – a red powder spot marked on the forehead."
. I am sorry if it looked like i was accusing you of something. I have been for over a year now and i think i can usually trust the intention of your points. I will finish here with a sikh jokes i heard:
