Sikhism Ceremony's

'Sanskars' refers to the religious ceremonies that takes place at an important stage in ones life.

The Sikhs have 4 main Sanskars in life. They are:

Naam Karan

Naam Karan refers to the ceremony in which the mother and the child are brought to the Gurudwara. The mother and the child can be brought to the Gurudwara at any time, but they should be physically fit. After the Ardas and Hukamnama
a letter is given to the parents of the new child.

Amrit Sanchar



Sanchar is the Sikh ceremony of initiation. This practice started since 1469 - 1539, the times of Guru Nanak Dev. During that time - period, this ceremony was known as Charan Amrit, Charan Phul or the Pag Pahul. Thus in the year 1699, the Khande di Pahul (Amrit ceremony) was initiated by Guru Gobind Singh when Khalsa was inaugurated at Sri Anandpur Sahib on the day of Baisakhi. "Khande Di Pahul" promises connection with the Guru, along with promotes the ability to lead a pure life.

Anand Karaj

Anand Karaj refers to the marriage ceremony of the sikhs. The ceremony was initiated by Guru Amar Das Ji. The ceremony takes place in the Gurudwara, in which the couple bind's with each other and consists of four Lavan's. It ceremony is now governed by the Sikh Rehat Maryada, issued by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). Also , Sikhs cannot marry persons of other religions. However, in practice, many Sikhs take preference in people from their caste.



Antam Sanskar

Sanskar is the funeral ceremony. Death is to be considered as a natural process and God's will. For a Sikh, birth and death are associated to each other. It also means "coming and going" which is a stage towards Liberation, complete unity with God. Death is the only progression of the soul on its journey from God. In life, a Sikh always tries to constantly remember death, to break the cycle of birth and death and return to God.