MD 2008 This picture shows us what one in The Gurdwara is the Sikh India looks like inside. place of worship. Shoes A Sikh Family are taken off and heads e e are always covered before e d d going inside but anyone is d Naam Karan li li li S S welcome to go there. S Family life is very important to those who follow the Sikhl e le le religion. The Sikh holy book,p p p The Granth Sahibm, m m teaches about familya life. a a It is kept at theS Gurdwara . S S

There are no priests or The Gurdwara is not just believe that all life comes as a gift from vicars inside the a place to worship. God so whenever a baby is born the baby is but there are It’s also a meeting place Granthis . They look after seen as a gift from God. e and it even has its own e e e the holy book, the Guru d kitchen where free food d d d Granth Sahibi and also i i Because the i l is served to anyone who l l l look after the building. baby is a gift S wants it . S S S from God, le le le Sikh families le p p p want to p m m These children live inm our country. They go to their celebrate the m a a Gurdwara to learna the language spoken by Sikhs baby’s birth. a S S in India and Sto learn about the Sikh religion. S

The baby’s birth is celebrated by a visit to the There are hymns and prayers to celebrate the When a baby is born into a Sikh family, the The granthi stirs water and sugar together in a Gurdwara for a special ceremony to name the baby’s birth and to ask for blessings of good health word ‘ ’ (God’s name) is whispered into bowl with a . A khanda is a special child. This naming ceremony is called Naam Karan . and a long life for the baby. the baby’s ear. Sometimes the words of a prayere e e sword. A few drops of this holy water are thene that wrote long ago, are whisperedd d The grathi leadsd the put into the baby’s mouth and the rest isd given in the baby’s ears and a drop of honeyli is placed li ceremony.li He sits to the baby’s mother to drink. li inside the baby’s mouth. infront of the Guru S S Granth S Sahib which S Baby names aren’t chosen le This Gurdwara is in le leis covered by a le until after the baby is p England. p p Rumala cloth when p born. It is a place of m worship, a meeting m m it is not being read. m The baby’s name is place and a place a a The granthi is thea person who looks after the holy a decided in aS special where special foodS is S S ceremony. cooked and shared. book, the Guru Grath Sahib. khanda

After a prayer, the , the holy Boys and girls are often given the same names. Many Sikhs like to choose names that have a The ceremony ends with a special pudding called book, is opened. It is opened at random and the The name is added after a boy’s name. special meaning such as Gurmeet which means karah prasad shared by all the guests and a little first letter on the left-hand page is read out. Singh means lion. If the baby is a boy and the first friend of the Guru, or Harbir which means warrior bit of it is placed on the baby’s lips. e letter is ‘P’, the baby boy could be given a namee of God. When the baby’s name is chosen bye the e This letter is then used as the first letter of the Then a Rumala, a beautiful d like or Pritam Singh. d family, everyone cheers. d d baby’s name. li li li cloth, is placed over the li S S The baby is S Guru Granth Sahib. S The word Kaur is added given the , e after a girl’s name. e e e l l a small bracelet l l A Rumala and a Chauri. p Kaur means princess. p that is one of p p A Chauri is waved over the m A girl could be calledm the five symbols m m Partap Kaur or Pritam Guru Granth Sahib a a of the Sikh faith. a a as it is read. S Kaur. S S S Karah prasad is a special, holy food. During the The person who makes How to make karah prasad This man is cutting naming ceremony it stands near the Guru Granth the karah prasad karah prasad with a Sahib ready to be handed out in the prayer hall. should be very clean You need . e e e e d The baby’s family arranged for and so shouldd the pots 1 mug filled with 3 parts of d li it to be cooked sol thati it is used to makeli it. semolina to 1 part chapatti flour. li S ready for theS naming PrayersS are said while 2½ mugs of hot water S ceremony. While it is cooked, it is being prepared. 200g butter le speciall prayerse are said over it lIte is made from 1 mug of sugar le p andp it is touched with a kirpan p semolina, chapatti p m mEveryone is offered karah m flour, water, butter m a a prasad. It is taken in cupped a and sugar. a S S hands and eaten at once. S S

Sometimes sweets or free food What to do Karah prasad from the - the kitchen in the is a holy gurdwara - is served after the 1. Heat the butter in a saucepan. pudding. naming ceremony so that everyone 2. Add the semolina and flour mixture and mix it well. e e can share the celebrations. e 3. Cook the mixture, first it will seem sticky thend it will d d turn golden. li li li 4. Add the hot water to the cooked mixture.S S S 5. Stir the mixture until the semolinae is cooked. It will e e expand (get bigger) as it cooks.l l l www.ks1resources.co.uk 6. Stir in the sugar and cook until the mixture comes p No onep is allowed to refuse to p away from the sidesm and some butter reappears on m m the surface. a a eat the karah prasad and no a 7. Eat straight away with cupped hands. one is allowed to throw any S S away.. S