Why sikhs wear turban

Why Sikhs wear Turbans When a Sikh man wearing a turban is spotted, naturally a lot of questions spring up in the minds of people. First and foremost, the most obvious reason why Sikhs wear turbans is to represent their faith. It is a way of expressing brotherhood and unity among fellow Sikhs.

The skull or the crown of the head is a critical part of the body. Covering the crown of the head with a many layered clothing not only is a sign of reverence to that area but also triggers the pressure points in the skull which in turn regulates blood circulation and mental activity. The turban is part of this identity aimed at promoting equality and brotherhood.

Sikhs believe that wrapping the head with a tight turban securely in place helps the mind stay grounded and focused on the important things in life. In fact, this belief is so strong that Sikh women also embrace the turban as a way of fostering self-reliance and equality in gender. Everyone is royal and equal — During the initiation of the Khalsa, the Turban was prevalent in society as a sign of royalty.

It represented the higher castes. Only the privileged and influential were allowed to wear a turban. These two swords symbolize the twin concepts of meeri and peeri — temporal and spiritual authority introduced by Guru Hargobind. They emphasize the equal emphasis that a Sikh must place on spiritual aspirations as well as obligations to society. No, there is no particular color for Sikhs or Sikhism.

These represent traditional colors for Sikhs. The reason for doing so is strongly rooted in the culture of South Asia. Guru Gobind Singh wanted to remove these barriers between people, and create an egalitarian society. The word Singh means Lion and the word Kaur denotes royalty — a sovereign princess. As in every religion, there are people at different levels of observance and commitment to their faith. Some Sikhs choose to their family or caste name for personal reasons or to distinguish themselves for official written records.

Often, but not always, these individuals have maintained Singh and Kaur as middle names. Sikh Gurus strongly forbade all rituals and superstitions. Sikhs are thus not allowed to eat any food prepared through a ritualistic process e.

There is no mandate allowing or disallowing Sikhs to eat meat — it is a personal choice. Some Sikhs, through their interpretation of Sikh teachings, may choose to be vegetarians. Sikhs are also not supposed to drink alcohol or consume any other intoxicants. They are pledging their commitment to the Sikh faith and agreeing to live their life as a Sikh. This means that they must wear the five articles of faith and use Singh or Kaur as their last name.

There is no prescribed age at which a Sikh should be initiated; they can choose to do so whenever they are ready. According to the Rehat Maryada, only those who understand the significance of the ceremony and carry its discipline with sincerity should be initiated. It is important to note that once a Sikh is initiated, they are committed to this lifestyle and as outlined in Rehat Maryada. The founders of the Sikh faith started the practice of maintaining hair unshorn. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, gave the Sikhs 5 articles of faith including unshorn hair and the dastaar turban , which, as a whole, comprise the daily uniform of a Sikh.

In other words, keeping hair kesh and wearing a dastaar turban form an external identity for a Sikh. But, as in every religion, there are people at different levels of observance and commitment to their faith. Everyone is on their own personal journey. Some Sikhs may cut their hair, but that does not exclude them from the Sikh community. Initiated Sikhs are not supposed to cut hair from any part of their body.

All Sikhs, men and women are thus supposed to have unshorn hair and remain unshaved. Like the articles of faith, Sikhs regard their turbans as gifts given by their beloved gurus, and their meaning is deeply personal. The Sikh gurus adopted the turban , in part, to remind Sikhs that all humans are sovereign, royal and ultimately equal. After British colonizers in India seized power of Punjab in , where a majority of the Sikh community was based, Sikhs began migrating to various regions controlled by the British Empire, including Southeast Asia, East Africa and the United Kingdom itself.

Based on what was available to them, Sikhs played various roles in these communities, including military service, agricultural work and railway construction. They began experiencing discrimination immediately upon their arrival. For instance, the first race riot targeting Sikhs took place in Bellingham, Washington, in Angry mobs of white men rounded up Sikh laborers , beat them up and forced them to leave town.

The discrimination continued over the years. It was a time when 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive in Iran and tension between the two countries was high.

These slurs reflected the racist backlash against those who fitted the stereotypes of Iranians. Our family faced a similar racist backlash when the U. For that they can thank Guru Gobind Singh , the 10th and last human guru of the faith, who called his followers together in April to the city of Anandpur in the north Indian state of Punjab to celebrate Baisakhi , the annual harvest festival. It was here that he formed the Khalsa the pure , a brother- and sisterhood of baptised Sikhs and issued a number of edicts that have shaped Sikhism and made it what we know today.

Principal among these was that Sikhs were to maintain five articles of faith, referred to as the five Ks because they all begin with the letter K in Punjabi. The most distinctive one is kesh : keeping uncut hair, to be maintained in a turban.

The other four are: kara , a round steel bracelet symbolising strength and integrity; kirpan , a ceremonial sword to emphasis martial strength; kanga , a small wooden comb to keep uncut hair in place and symbolising cleanliness and order; and kachhera , cotton shorts for chastity and readiness for battle.

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak who was born into a Hindu family in in Punjab and emerged as the preacher of a revolutionary spiritual and temporal message that went against both Hinduism and Islam, the chief religions of India at the time.

He railed in particular against the oppressive Hindu caste system, insisting that there was only one God and that all humans were equal.