Wednesday, May 28, 2014

New book explores Sikh weddings

Arvinder Grewal


If you visit a Sikh temple you may be lucky enough to attend a wedding while you’re there.
Families who host Sikh weddings must be ready to feed more people than they actually invite because Sikh temples are open to the public and it is not uncommon for strangers to join the celebration.  
This is just one of many customs that non-Sikhs may be unaware of.
Arvinder Grewal’s book, Weddings Around The World: Sikh Weddings, is a guidebook inspired by her own experiences with weddings growing up in Vancouver. She wrote the book for the Sikh-Canadian community when she realized that some customs were being lost.
“I intended it for the generation who have lost this information, who don’t have this information passed down to them,” said Grewal. But she added that the book is for anyone who is interested in Punjab culture or the Sikh religion. “I hope that it gives people an idea of the beauty of a Sikh wedding, the richness, the culture,” she said.  
She noted a distinction must be made between Sikhism and Punjab. Sikhism is a religion, whereas Punjab is a region in northern India that extends into eastern Pakistan.
According to a 2011 Statistics Canada report, 11 per cent of Vancouverites self-identify as South Asian, 10 per cent speak Punjabi at home and 6.5 per cent follow the Sikh religion.
With thanks : vancourier : LINK : for detailed news.

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