Ethnography Religion Project: My Visit to the Orange County Sikhism Center

Today I got to step into a new culture I don't know much about to practice anthropological research method called fieldwork.

Things I learned about Sikhism:

• They believe all people are created equal regardless of gender, status, geographic location, and religion
• They strive to achieve a balance between spiritual life and temporal life.
• Sikhism condemns empty rituals. Sikhs do not believe in pilgrimages, idolatry or reverence to pictures.
• Sikhs believe in practices such as daily prayer that instill understanding and discipline.

I found Sikhs to be very accepting and kind.

When I first got there I was greeted by a teenager who was very welcoming and decided to help me out for my first visit. He instructed me to removed my shoes and put on a head scarf. All practicing Sikhs cover their hair out of love and as a mark of commitment to the faith.

I happened to visit the Sikh center , also known as a Gurdwara, on a very special day. They were celebrating the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak. There is a total of 10 Sikh gurus that helped shape the Sikh beliefs. They refer to these birthdays as Gurpurab and celebrate with song and prayer.

During the whole service different Sevadars (volunteer) took turns respectfully waving the Chaur Sahib, made with yak hair, above the Guru Granth Sahib (Holy book of scriptures) as a sign of respect and dedication.

My new friend also reminded me that the Gurdwara has no chairs because Sikhs sit on the floor to symbolize equality.

After the service, I got to participate in the tradition known as Langar. Langar is food that is cooked by the members of the community and served by members of the community, to all people at the Gurdwara. The idea is also to demonstrate
equality of all people. It was very tasty.

I had a great time at the sikh center and plan on going back one more time to do some more research on a day that is not a holiday.