January 16 – Magh Mela in India

nPostednon January 16, 2014

Onenof the most important gatherings of the Sikhs is happening this week.nCalled Mela Maghi, the fair honors the memory of forty Sikh warriorsnkilled in battle in 1705.

nItnsounds to me more like a county fair than like a religious gathering.nThere are merchants hawking their wares with displays of everythingnfrom costume jewelry and knickknacks to high-end electronics andntractors. The two biggest circuses set up their tents, and there arenrides for the kids. There are sideshows such as the Wall of Death,nwhere people ride motorcycles along the vertical wall of a woodenncylinder, and perform stunts as well.

nHowever,non this un-narrated YouTube video of the fair, I definitelynheard some singing and chanting that could have been religious innnature, and I saw people putting offerings on a shrine. I wonder ifnthe people beating shoes onto the ground were participating in anreligious ceremony of some sort?

I read that 99% of all U.S. men who wear
turbans are Sikhs. But I bet most of them
are often assumed to be Muslim.

nInbought my very first computer, waaaaayyyy back in the late 1970s,nfrom a man who had a full beard and who wore a turban on his head andna small, curved blade (kirpan) in his belt. Those characteristics told me that thisnman practiced Sikhism, which is said to be the fifth largest religionnin the world. n

Kirpan

Because sikhs are required
to carry their kirpans at all times,
there have been debates about
whether or not kirpans should
be allowed in public places
where other weapons are not.

nSikhismnis also one of the youngest of the major religions, since its foundernlived from 1469 to 1539. Some of the core beliefs include that therenis one god, that men and women are equal and have the same rights andnresponsibilities, and that honesty and giving to the needy are somenof the most important virtues. Although Sikhism arose in India, Sikhsndon’t believe in the caste system (a system in which rigid socialnclasses are determined by heredity) that was prevalent in Hindunthought. n

nFindnout more about Sikhism here.

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