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FAQ's
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The following is a collection of the most frequently asked questions by non-Sikh primary school
aged children in their own words about Sikhs and Sikhism.
The answers attempt to use the same language as the children and therefore may lose
out in the accuracy many Sikhs would like and Sikhism deserves, these will be reviewed
on a regular basis in light of comments received.
The questions are grouped into themes
to avoid repetition of answers.
Do you have any holy colours ?
Do you have any holy animals ?
Why do you wear white and not another colour ?
Sikhs are linked with four colours: Saffron (orangey yellow),
Blue, Black and White. There are no holy animals in the spiritual sense but baptised Sikhs
are vegetarians.
Why don’t you cut your hair ?
Why don’t women cut their hair ?
Why don’t most Sikhs cut their hair ?
Hair (called Kesh) is one of the Five K’s which all
baptised Sikhs keep in the way god intended. If god wanted man to have short hair He would
not let it grow so long.
Why do you wear special clothes ?
Why do you wear different clothes ?
It depends on what is meant ‘special’ or
‘different’, as the Kachhera (baggy shorts) is one of the Five K’s. The
reason for the Turban is explained later.
How many gods have you got, what are their names and how do you
remember them ?
What gods do you worship ?
Do you have a special god ?
How many gods do you have in your country ?
How come Sikhs and Hindu’s have loads of gods but they are not all
the same ?
Are you monotheists or polytheists?
Do you pray to one god at a time ?
Do you have a main god ?
How many arms has your god got ?
Sikhs believe that there is only one god and everyone believes
in that same god in different ways. As Sikhs live all over the world and they believe that
god is everywhere the question of ‘country’ does not arise. Because no-one has
actually ‘seen’ the one god, no-one really knows how many arms He has got.
Why do you play music and why do you sing ?
Is it hard to play your instruments ?
Do you have any special instruments, if so name them ?
Why do you have a bell hanging down in the temple ?
Why do you ring a bell when people sing ?
All religions use singing accompanied by music as an act of
worship. There are no special Sikh musical instruments and therefore not difficult to play
if you practice. Sikhs do not have a bell hanging down in the Gurdwara as in the Hindu
temples, but some Sikhs use small bells to accompany the singing.
Do you have any special days ?
On which days of the week do you worship ?
How many times do you pray a day ?
What special times of the year do you celebrate ?
What is the most important time of the year for Sikhism ?
Sikhs ’celebrate’ a number of days throughout the
year, these include the birthdays of the Gurus, the most important ones being those of the
first and the tenth Gurus. Vaisakhi is the Sikhs New Year and is normally on the 13th
April (this year however, it will be on the 14th April). Sikhs worship god every day of
the week by saying their daily prayers, the baptised Sikhs recite the morning prayers
(JapJi Sahib) and evening prayers (RehRaas).
What do you call the hat that men wear ?
Why do men and boys wear turbans ?
Baptised Sikhs wake up very early every day, they wash
themselves - including their uncut hair and wear clean turbans to keep their hair clean
during the day, wearing a hat is not allowed as the hat is not always clean. The turban is
also a symbol of Sikh identity so that Sikhs stand out in a crowd and cannot deny that
they are proud to be Sikhs, it also protects the head from injury in the same way as
helmets do.
Why do you have a candle ?
Do you have lots of candles ?
Why do you have a smelly candle that smells really nice ?
Why is the man who comes around with a candle dressed in white ?
Sikhs do not have lots of candles but when the Holy Book is
being read from cover to cover non-stop in forty-eight hours, the candle is there to
provide light and acts as emergency lighting. the flame can also act as a source of
defence from wild animals which are afraid of fire. Any man dressed in white carrying a
lighted candle is not a Sikh.
Why do you have a platform ?
The ‘platform’ is like the altar where the Holy Book
is read, this is to give it respect by being at a higher level than everyone else so that
god’s word can be delivered to all. As Sikhs consider the Holy Book to be their Guru,
everyone can then also see the Guru.
Do you have a special book ? If yes what is it called ?
What is your Holy Book called ?
Why do you wave this thing on your Holy Book ?
The Sikh Holy Book which contains the teachings of the ten
Gurus is called ‘Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji’. It was written by the order of and
at the time of the Gurus. Sikhs consider it to be the embodiment of the Gurus and treat it
with as much respect as if it was ‘alive’. In olden times, the Kings were kept
cool and free of insects often found in warm climates by the type of waving referred to,
this is why Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is treated in the way described
Why do you give out food, sweets (fruit and nuts sometimes) at the end
of the service ?
Is there a type of holy food ?
Do you have any similar sweets to the Hindu’s ?
This is like holy communion in that sharing of the spiritually
blessed food by the congregation helps unite people, apart from ‘Krah Prashaad’
(food which is blessed by having the ‘Kirpan’ - one of the Five K’s - run
through it after special prayers) all other food has been donated by worshipers attending
the Gurdwara. Sikhs are adventurous people and enjoy the foods of the countries in which
they live, in India the majority of people are Hindu’s and therefore Sikhs also have
similar sweets.
What were all of the gods e.g. the tenth guru was a saint soldier ?
Is it true that Guru Nanak is the first god ?
Who invented Sikhism ?
All of the Gurus were saints, the fifth and ninth Gurus were
martyrs, the seventh was the child Guru, but the sixth and the tenth Gurus were also
soldiers who took up arms to fight tyranny and injustice on behalf of all. Guru Nanak was
the first Guru who led his followers in a different direction from that of the
Hindu’s and Muslim’s and founded Sikhism but it was Guru Gobind Singh Ji who
created the ‘Khalsa’ (the Pure) or Sikhism as we know it today.
Is there a certain way in which you have to pray ?
Why do you have a special stance when you pray ?
Do you have to sit in a special position when you pray ?
Why do you take your shoes off when you pray ?
Sikhs believe that there are at least nine ways you can pray
which includes deeds and thoughts, meditation and congregational worship are only but two,
for both you must be comfortable and clean, this is done by taking your shoes off, washing
your feet which may have become dirty or sweaty in the shoes and sitting cross-legged on
the floor making sure you don’t point your feet (which is considered rude) towards
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Why do you pray on mats ?
Sikhs do not pray on mats.
Why do you have statues ?
Why do you have a temple in your homes ?
Sikhs do not have statues or pray to them, nor do they have
temples in their homes.
In the Christian faith the main symbol is a cross, do you have any
symbols to represent your faith ?
Why do you have a special symbol ?
The Sikhs have the Khanda which comprises of the double edged
sword of life around which is the circle of eternity and two crossed swords (Miri &
Piri) reminding Sikhs of the need for spiritual and temporal power they need to exercise.
Why do you have to wash your hands before you eat ?
Do they like to wash their hands ?
Why do have to wash your hands and feet before you start the service ?
Sikhs like to stay clean and healthy, it is a good idea to wash
your hands before eating or handling food so that you get rid of any germs on your hands
to stop them getting inside you and make you ill. Sikhs treat Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as
a living soul, therefore when entering the Guru’s house (Gurdwara comes from two
words Gur referring to Guru and Dwar meaning house) you must be physically clean.
Do you feel embarrassed getting washed in front of all the other people
?
Sikhs do not feel embarrassed washing themselves in holy water
at certain key religious places, particularly when on a pilgrimage as Christians visiting
Lourdes.
When do you put up a new flag ?
A new flag is usually raised at Vaisakhi or at the opening of a
new Gurdwara.
Why do they sit on the floor?
Why can’t they sit on chairs ?
Sikhs believe that everyone is equal - rich or poor, black or
white, boys and girls, so by sitting on the floor no-one is better or worse than each
other. If two people were sitting on chairs then it is possible that one chair might not
be as good as the other, but everyone sitting on the floor stops people arguing about
things like that.
Why don’t Hindu’s and Sikhs pray together or share a temple ?
Why don’t Sikhs worship the same as Muslim’s ?
Do you welcome any other religions into your temple ?
Sikhs believe that all religions are like different boats on a
river of life. they all get you across but may take different routes. Sikhism warns
against colliding with other boats but likes to protect its rights of way in the same way
as other boats would like, because Sikhs are different to Hindu’s and Muslim’s
it is difficult to share in all aspects of prayers and therefore not possible to share in
a place of worship. Followers of other religions are welcome into the Gurdwara, but
Sikhism also tells of dangers of jumping from one boat to another in mid-stream in case
the boats drift apart but sees nothing wrong in sharing a journey when both boats are
going in the same direction - this allows followers of other religions and Sikhs to
worship god together so long as neither boat tries to force a change in the others
direction.
How did you become part of the Gurdwara ?
A Gurdwara is more than just a place of worship, for it feeds,
houses and clothes those in need in a caring way in a similar way to a church. all Sikhs
are expected to contribute part of their earnings or effort to the Gurdwara in serving
society. Sikhs believe that the young should look after the elderly as a duty for bringing
the young up when they needed help.
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