Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion, after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It is a monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive gurus from the Punjab province of India in the 15th to early 18th centuries. When the tenth guru, who was called Guru Gobind Singh, died in 1708, he named as his successor a book of the gurus' writings and ordered that the book should sit on the guru's throne forever after. This book is called the Guru Granth, and is carried on its throne in the first float of the Sikh Festival and Parade in Yuba City each year.

The three main pillars of the Sikh religion are hard, honest work, sharing one's earnings with people who are less fortunate, and the remembrance of God. To honor the second pillar, the Sikh Temple Tierra Buena provides free meals to the needy every day, all year round.¹ The other Sikh Temples also regularly provide free meals to the needy. At the annual Sikh Festival and Parade each November, tons of food is provided free to everyone, honoring the second pillar of the religion.

Sikhism also urges the practice of five virtues—honesty, contentment, compassion, humility, and love—and the resistance to five evils—lust, rage, greed, attachment, and egoism.

Sikhism teaches that women are equal to men, and that all Indian castes are equal. Traditionally, Indian women's first and last names were often both changed when the women married, and last names often indicated caste; lower castes were discriminated against. Guru Gobind Singh instructed all Sikh men to take the last name Singh, and all Sikh women to take the last name Kaur, eradicating clues to their castes. He also instructed that women's first and last names should both remain unchanged all their lives, regardless of whether they married. These traditions are not consistently followed today, partly because with only two last names, a large number of Sikhs would have identical first and last names. Some Sikhs use Sing or Kaur as a middle name and add the name of their family's Indian village as a last name.

The majority of the Punjabi-American community in the Yuba-Sutter area is Sikh, although the majority of people in the Punjab province of India are Muslim, and the majority of people in India as a whole are Hindu.

Events

November: Sikh Festival and Parade—Sikh Temple in Tierra Buena

Links

Sikhism SikhiWiki Guru Nanak Dev Hinduism and Sikhism "Sikhs prepare for parade: Annual event this weekend" by Leticia Gutierrez, Appeal-Democrat, October 29, 2009 "Sikhs celebrate community spirit: 30th annual parade attracts an estimated 75,000 people to Y.C." by Ben van der Meer, Appeal-Democrat, November 2, 2009 Religion Facts: Sikhism Religious Tolerance: Sikhism

Footnotes

1. "Sikhs prepare for parade: Annual event this weekend" by Leticia Gutierrez, Appeal-Democrat, October 29, 2009