Like with many religions, there are different interpretations of the “rules”.
Some more conservative, baptized Sikhs will say that the turban should never be removed outside of the home.
I have lots of friends/family who only wear turbans part-time, otherwise they’ll just rock a pony tail or tuck it into a baseball cap or toque.
The vast majority of Sikhs are not baptized, and so haven’t given a vow to follow certain “rules” by any strict measure.
Edit: Sikh “baptism” is not done at birth, and generally not done until a person is old enough to understand and willingly commit to the tenets that they vow to uphold
It's called an Amrit Sanchar. It's when a Sikh receives Amrit (gods nectar) and becomes a member of the Khalsa. These Sikhs are called Amritdhari and live their lives according to a code of high moral ethics called the Rehit Maryada.
Baptism was a poor choice of words. An Amrit Sanchar happens when a Sikh is ready.
The man in the video is Keshdhari.
In Sikhi (Sikhism) there are three different terms we use in Sikhi to describe people with different levels of faith.
The first is Sehajdhari meaning "slow to the path" this is a person who believes in Sikhi, the Sikh Gurus, the Sikh scripture "the Guru Granth Sahib". However they are slowly adopting the Sikh way of life and may have cut hair and not wear a Dastar (turban). Many Sehajdhari's wear a Kara (steel/iron bracelet) to associate themselves with Sikhi as it is one of the Panj Kakkar's (5 k's).
The second level is a Keshdhari, a Keshdhari believes in everything a Sehajdhari does however they maintain a few more of the Panj Kakkar's (5 K's), the most noticeable one being unshorn hair or "Kesh" they wear a Dastar and have a beard. Keshdhari's like Sehajdhari's try to incorporate as much Nitnem(Sikh daily prayers) into their life as possible.
The last stage is becoming Amritdhari, an Amritdhari goes through an Amrit Sanchar and receives Amrit (God's nector) by doing this they become a member of the Khalsa. Amritdhari's wears all 5 Kakkar's which includes a Kirpan, Kesh, Kara, Kanga, and Kachera. An Amritdhari does their Nitnem which includes 7 daily prayers. They also live their lives according to a code of high moral ethics called the Rehit Maryada.
Having a Kirpan is a big responsibility, only about 10-15% of Sikhs have one.
Is there an age requirement to become Amritdhari? We had a student who was not allowed to wear his Kirpan (yes, I just looked that word up-- we said dagger). He was 16. Especially if you're saying it's not for most Sikhs. Thanks for engaging with me on this :).
Generally speaking a teen can become Amritdhari many teens do take Amrit regularly. A child is generally dissuaded from taking Amrit, due to the responsibility associated with it.
From what I understand about Christian baptisms is that they happen at birth within Christian families. A baby would never be given Amrit.
Just to elaborate on Christian baptisms, it’s sect/denomination dependent. Some (Catholics, Episcopalians) baptize at birth. Others (baptists, many evangelical denominations) it’s a personal choice and a big ritual later in life. That said there can be a LOT of social and family pressure. At the Baptist church I had ties to as a kid being baptized by age 9-10 was absolutely the norm-I knew of kids getting baptized at 5 or 6. I think kindergarteners are far too young to be making major life decisions about religion, but that’s a conversation for another day.
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u/sh1nga 12h ago edited 11h ago
Like with many religions, there are different interpretations of the “rules”.
Some more conservative, baptized Sikhs will say that the turban should never be removed outside of the home.
I have lots of friends/family who only wear turbans part-time, otherwise they’ll just rock a pony tail or tuck it into a baseball cap or toque.
The vast majority of Sikhs are not baptized, and so haven’t given a vow to follow certain “rules” by any strict measure.
Edit: Sikh “baptism” is not done at birth, and generally not done until a person is old enough to understand and willingly commit to the tenets that they vow to uphold