Read through the statements and see if you can arrange them in the correct order. Research ‘baby naming ceremony in Sikhism’ using the Internet to see if you were correct.
When a woman first discovers she is pregnant, she will recite prayers thanking Waheguru for the gift of the child. She will ask Waheguru for the protection and safety of the foetus as it develops.
If this is their first child, the parents may refer to the Sikh Rahit Maryada (code of conduct) to check what the procedure is for the naam karan.
When the baby is born, the mool mantra (the fundamental belief of Sikhism) is whispered into the baby’s ear. A drop of honey is also placed in the baby’s mouth.
Both parents (as soon as the mother is able to), along with any family member who wishes to join in on the naam karan, will go to their local Gurdwara within 40 days of the baby’s birth.
The family brings a gift to the Gurdwara. It may be a rumalla (piece of cloth used to cover the Guru Granth Sahib), some food to be used in the langar or a monetary donation to put in the donation box by the manji granth.
The granthi opens the Guru Granth Sahib at random and reads the passage on that page to the sangat (congregation).
The parents choose a name using the first letter of the first word from the random passage read by the granthi.
Once the parents have chosen the baby’s first name, the granthi will then give the child the surname Kaur, meaning ‘Princess’ (if female) or Singh meaning ‘Lion’ (if male).
Karah Prashad (a sweet semolina mix) is then distributed to everyone, shared out from the same bowl. This also symbolises the sweetness of Waheguru.
