Naam Karan is the name given to the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

child naming ceremony. It usually takes place at a

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

, there is no strict time table for holding the ceremony, the health and well-being of the mother and child being considered most important in determining when it should take place.

Steps of the ceremony

When the family performs this ceremony, the father or senior member of the family contact a local

for the brief ceremony. On the day of the Naam Karan, the family, guests, mother and baby attend the weekly

kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts ...

of the Saadh Sangat of the congregation. The family makes arrangements to have

Karah Prasad In Sikhism, Prashad (Punjabi: ਕੜਾਹ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦ ) is a type of whole wheat flour halva made with equal portions of whole-wheat flour, clarified butter, and sugar and double quantity of water. It is offered to all visitors to the D ...

said for the occasion. Various Shabads of thanks, joy, and support are sung followed by the short

Anand Sahib The Anand Sahib (Gurmukhi: ਅਨੰਦ ਸਾਹਿਬ ''anada sāhiba'') is a collection of hymns in Sikhism, written in the Ramkali Raag by Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Guru of the Sikhs. It appears on the pages 917 to 922 in Guru Granth Sahi ...

(6 ''pauris''). Then, if a

Sahaj Paath The ''Sahaj Paath'' or ''Sadharan Path'' is the reading from beginning to end, with no time-limit for completion. of the ''Sri Guru Granth Sahib'', the Sikh Scriptures, which can be done at the reader's schedule. A ''Paath'' may be fulfilled by on ...

has been arranged, the ''

bhog ''Bhog'' (n. 'pleasure' or 'delight', v. 'to end' or 'to conclude') is a term used in Hinduism and Sikhism. In Sikhism, it is used for observances that are fulfilled along with the reading of the concluding part of the Guru Granth Sahib. It can b ...

'' of this reading takes place. Then comes the main part of the ceremony, which is the naming of the baby. The '' ardas'' is done with a request to God to grant the child good health; make him or her a dedicated Sewadar of the country and

Panth Panth (also panthan, meaning "path" in Sanskrit) is the term used for several religious traditions in India. A panth is founded by a guru or an acharya, and is often led by scholars or senior practitioners of the tradition. Some of the major pant ...

; to enlighten the name of his/her family and

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

, and to ask for a name for the child. The Ardas is followed by the

Hukamnama A Hukamnama ( Punjabi: ਹੁਕਮਨਾਮਾ, translit. ''Hukamanāmā''), in modern-times, refers to a hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib which is given as an injunction, order, or edict to Sikhs. It also refers to edicts issued by the contempo ...

. When the Hukamnama is taken, the first letter of the first word of the Hukam is the letter to be used to give the name to the child. So, for example, if the first word of the

Hukam Hukam ( pa, ਹੁਕਮਿ) is a Punjabi word derived from the Arabic ''hukm ''Ahkam'' (, ar, أحكام "rulings", plural of ()) is an Islamic term with several meanings. In the Quran, the word ''hukm'' is variously used to mean arbit ...

is "Sagal", the child's name should start with "S" (i.e., the first letter). Once the name for the baby has been chosen, the word "

Kaur Kaur ( pa, ਕੌਰ (Gurmukhi), pa, کور (Shahmukhi) en, crown prince) (sometimes spelled as ''Kour''), is a surname or a part of a personal name primarily used by the Sikh and Hindu women of Punjab region. "Kaur" is also sometimes trans ...

" is added to the names of girls and the name "

Singh Singh (Help:IPA, IPA: ) is a title, middle name or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it eventually became a common surname adopted by different ...

" is added to the names of boys. The

gyani A gyani or giani (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨੀ ) is an honorific Sikh titles, Sikh title used by someone learned in the Sikh religion and who often leads the congregation in prayers, such as Ardas, or in singing (kirtan). The word ...

will pronounce the name of the child in the Sangat.

References

External links

sgpc.net Rehat Maryada
{{Sikh-stub Sikh terminology Sikh practices