India: Sikh baptism in Canada, including information on the prerequisite conditions, the ceremony and whether the conditions and ceremony differs within Canada and between Canada and Punjab (1998)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND30721.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Sikh baptism in Canada, including information on the prerequisite conditions, the ceremony and whether the conditions and ceremony differs within Canada and between Canada and Punjab (1998), 1 December 1998, IND30721.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad3778.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information is provided in a World Sikh Organization of Canada publication called Introduction to Sikhism. Please note that the document has no date.
Baptism in Sikhism is not ceremonious and hence no infants are baptised. Unlike many other faiths it is the initiate who has to beg for baptism with folded hands and the five Piaras conducting the baptism have the authority to refuse if the initiate has not progressed up to a certain standard. For Baptism no age and no auspicious day is fixed. One may be baptised at any time and any age. The baptised Sikhs are unique in having five physical symbols, i.e., Kesh, Kara, Kirpan, Kangha, and Kaccha (8).
In terms of someone becoming a Sikh, the same publication offers the following explanation:
To become a Sikh one must declare his total faith in the Guru's word, surrender to the Lord's Divine Will and accept the baptism of the sword administered by the five Sikhs in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib (The Holy Scriptures). Having been baptised he or she will have to adopt (and faithfully adhere to) the five Ks, accepting the overlordship of none by God alone, acting and behaving strictly according to the Guru's instructions imparted to him or her at the time of baptism (15).
In reference to the ceremonies observed by the Sikhs, the publication states the following:
The Sikhs have very few ceremonies in the strictest sense of the word. Baptism and marriage are the main ceremonies. Baptism is administered by five Sikhs in the presence of the Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Scriptures). They take some water in a bowl and say the five Sikh prayers and side by side stir the water with a double-edged sword called "Khanda" (19).
According to The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, baptism (pahul) is the "most important ceremony," which is usually administered at puberty (1989, 284). The initiate takes nectar (amrit) and as a result, he/she is admitted in to the Khalsa fraternity (ibid.).
In a 8 December 1998 telephone interview, the Executive Director of the World Sikh Organization in Ottawa stated that the prerequisites for baptism as well as the baptismal ceremony are the same within Canada and between Canada and Punjab.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. 15th ed. Vol. 27. Edited by Philip W. Goetz. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Sidhu, G.S. n.d. Introduction to Sikhism. Ottawa: World Sikh Organization.
World Sikh Organization, Ottawa. 8 December 1998. Telephone interview with the Executive Director.
Additional Sources Consulted
The Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987.
Singh, Prinicpal Teja. November 1994. An Outline of Sikh Doctrines.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, REFWORLD, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet and WNC.
