The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1643 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Naming
.
Although many Sikhs do not name their children in this way, the distinctive religious practice is as follows. About forty days after birth, the parents take the baby to the
gurdw
r
, where the
granth
prepares
amrit
and puts some on the baby's tongue with the tip of a
kirp
n
, the mother drinking the remainder. The
di
Granth is opened at random and usually the first word of the
abad
which ends at the top of the left-hand page is read. The parents choose a name beginning with the same initial or commencing with another letter from that word. The granth
announces this to the congregation, adding
Si
gh
for a boy and
Kaur
for a girl. His cry of ‘Jo bole so nih
l’ is answered by the congregation's ‘
Sat
Sr
Ak
l’. The first five and last
paur
s
of the
Anand
S
hib
are read, and after
Ard
s

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