A few weeks after the birth of a baby, Sikh parents may choose to go to the Gurdwara, where the birth ceremony would take place. Firstly a prayer takes place, in which the 'MOOL MANTAR' is repeated; in thanksgiving for the baby. Secondly Amrit (a mixture of sugar and water) is prepared and is fed to the newborn. The Granthi (a sikh priest) then dips a kirpaan into the Amrit, while saying prayers, and lightly touches the baby's tongue and head. The rest is fed to the mother.
Afterwards the Granthi opens the Guru Granth Sahib to a random page and the first letter of the first hymn on the first page, is the first letter of the baby's name. This procedure is known as the 'nam karan'. Once the parents have chosen the name, the Granthi announces it and says a blessing. Also, it is a custom for parents to give a new romala (the cloth used to cover the holy book) and to pay for the 'karah parshad' which is distributed towards the end of the service. Karah parshad is a mixture of sugar, semolina, water, butter and plain flower. Then at the end of the service the Ardas (a prayer) is said.
The strengths for this ceremony is that it demonstrates parents wanting to give thanks to god for the birth of their baby and that they are giving the baby's name a sacred meaning in Sikhism. A weakness could be that the parents may feel that they are restricted in choosing a name for their baby.
Afterwards the Granthi opens the Guru Granth Sahib to a random page and the first letter of the first hymn on the first page, is the first letter of the baby's name. This procedure is known as the 'nam karan'. Once the parents have chosen the name, the Granthi announces it and says a blessing. Also, it is a custom for parents to give a new romala (the cloth used to cover the holy book) and to pay for the 'karah parshad' which is distributed towards the end of the service. Karah parshad is a mixture of sugar, semolina, water, butter and plain flower. Then at the end of the service the Ardas (a prayer) is said.
The strengths for this ceremony is that it demonstrates parents wanting to give thanks to god for the birth of their baby and that they are giving the baby's name a sacred meaning in Sikhism. A weakness could be that the parents may feel that they are restricted in choosing a name for their baby.