[soccerstar]

Would someone please give me some information about how Sikhs raise their children. It's for my religion project. Thanks:)

[VSPrasad]

The Sikh tradition is a relatively recent addition to India's potpourri of religious traditions. Founded in the North-West region (the Punjab area) by Guru Nanak (l469-l539) at the beginning of the sixteenth century as an interesting blend of both Hindu devotionalism and Muslim (mainly Sufi) piety.

The "Adi Granth" or Guru Granth Sahib ("Book of the Lord"), (b) introduced the notion of the "Khalsa" (the "pure" community), a sacred, militant fraternity into which committed followers were initiated by means of a kind of baptismal ritual (called amrit-dhari or "taking the nectar"), and (c) required those who had been baptized to take a new surname,"Singh" or "lion", and to observe the symbolic "five K's" (panj-pakke), namely, kes (unshorn hair), kangha (comb), kara (steel bangle), kirpan (dagger) and kacch (special cloth shorts or underwear). Thereafter those who had taken "baptism" and become part of the Khalsa came to be known as kes-dhari ("wearing unshorn hair"), while those who had not taken baptism and not joined the Khalsa were referred to as sahaj-dhari or "non-Khalsa Sikhs" or simply the "not yet committed." Much of the religious sentiment of the Sikhs closely parallels Hindu devotional piety, but it resembles Islam in its clear monotheism and its rejection of any representation of the deity. The Sikhs also reject many aspects of the traditional caste system, although caste-groupings do play a role in Sikh politics and religion--for example, urban-based "forward" caste Khatris in rivalry with rural-based and "forward" caste Jats, or again, low-caste or "scheduled caste" Sikhs who seek entitlement benefits along with Hindu "scheduled castes," and so forth.

The male child should not cut his hair as part of Sikh traditions. The female child will
Have Kaur (unmarried girl) as her last name until she gets married. The male child
Will have Singh (Lion) as the last name for life. The male child should carry
Kangha, kara, kirpan and kacch for life time.

http://www.indiana.edu/~isp/cd_rom/mod_02/rel_text.htm

Sikh families have a deep concern for passing on to their children the traditions and heritage of the Sikhs. They find this particularly hard to do in the atmosphere of secularism that characterizes much of urban American life. Parents desire positive images so their children can identify with their native heritage.

http://www.sikhreview.org/july1994/sociology.htm