Anand Karaj in 1900s

[puzzled]

Interesting article I'v heard this before. 

 

“Only GurSikhs Had Anand Karaj Before the 1900” Says Elderly Grandmother

Posted byDaily Sikh Updates October 11, 2016 

“Only GurSikhs Had Anand Karaj Before the 1900” Says Elderly Grandmother

Anand Karaj in the 1900s by Anonymous on Sikhnet

Recently the Sikh marriage ceremony (Anand Karaj) has come under dispute when concerning couples professing different faiths, which has led to some controversy and conflict. Without going into too much detail of the recent events in the UK, where members of the Sikh community prevented an interfaith marriage from taking place in a Gurdwara, the Akal Takht, the spiritual abode of authority for Sikhs, has made it very transparent in the Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct) that the Anand Karaj ceremony is only permitted for those professing the Sikh faith. And quite rightly so! If one does not wish to accept or practice the Sikh faith, then why would one want a Sikh marriage ceremony? What is intended to be a blissful union of two souls merely becomes a meaningless and ritualistic ceremony.

For many years after the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh marriage rites became disoriented with conflicting practices, to the extent where a number of Sikhs were partaking in Hindu Vedic ceremonies to solemnise their marriage. In order to safeguard the sanctity of the Anand Karaj, a Sikh marriage act was officially passed in 1909, which established a legal binding of two people professing the Sikh faith.

AnandKaraj

This led me to go back to something my maternal grandmother mentioned regarding how Sikh marriages were performed in the early 1900s. It was a common practice for all marriages to be arranged and for girls, as young as seven years old to be engaged (my grandmother was nine years old!). Despite being engaged at such a young age, the girls would legally get married at 15 or 16 and for couples to meet for the very first time on their actual wedding day. My grandparents had a very simple, traditional Sikh wedding ceremony, which took place around the late 1920s-early 1930s (the exact year was never documented). My grandmother very interestingly pointed out, in order for the Anand Karaj to take place, the man had to take Amrit before the ceremony to profess his commitment to the Sikh faith and making a promise that he will maintain Sikh practices within his household. It was not necessary for women to take Amrit before marriage, which was something I could not quite completely understand nor could my grandmother explain why. Upon my grandfather taking Amrit, my grandparent’s marriage was sanctified by the Anand Karaj ceremony. The wedding ceremony took place in the ambrosial hours of the morning at around 4-5am, which was a practice that was maintained and continued from the times of the Sikh Gurus. Sadly this practice has now been lost.

This prompted me to question my grandmother further; what if my grandfather did not choose to take Amrit or what if my grandfather had shorn hair but was born in a Sikh household, would they still be allowed to have an Anand Karaj ceremony?

My grandmother made a very bold statement that no Sikh during the British Raj cut their hair; the Sikh identity was strongly intact. The cutting of the Kes became more apparent when Sikhs began to emigrate to the West in the 1950s and 60s, where they faced a backlash of discrimination and hostility towards them. For those who did not take Amrit before their marriage or where a Sikh daughter’s hand was given away in marriage into a Hindu household, the Anand Karaj ceremony was not permitted. As an alternative, the couple were offered an opportunity to sanctify their married life and seek the blessings from the Guru in the Gurdwara, where a Sukhmani Sahib or some other form of prayer and an Ardas were performed.

Based upon my grandmother’s insight into Sikh marriages in the early 1900s, it is clearly evident that the Anand Karaj ceremony was led and performed for those professing the Sikh faith. Although there was a significant requirement for the male spouse to take Amrit before the marriage, this is not the case now as many Sikh marriages take place with or without either couple being Amritdhari.

Inevitably, interfaith marriages will take place. Civil Service ceremonies are held inside many Sikh Gurdwaras around the world in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. If a couple wishes to have a marriage ceremony conducted inside a Gurdwara and seek the blessings from the Guru, then we should be able to offer them an alternative ceremony through a prayer and an Ardas.

In spite of the times changing, Sikhs have and should continually maintain the sanctity of the Anand Karaj ceremony between two Sikhs, however to also offer an alternative solution for interfaith marriages.

[puzzled]

How times have changed, now we have members of LGBTQ community trying to have Anand Karaj.

When you break a rule for one, then there always will be another wanting you to break the rule for them. 

[Jonny101]

4 hours ago, puzzled said:

How times have changed, now we have members of LGBTQ community trying to have Anand Karaj.

When you break a rule for one, then there always will be another wanting you to break the rule for them. 

The way things are going in the West it's just a matter of time before we see that circus show happening in a Gurdwaras Sahib. They are brainwashing kids from a young age through sex ed. They've already forced some Christian denominations to allow gay marriage. I've heard some fringe Muslim imams have allowed gay nikas to occur in western Europe. Be ready for when this manmat will also be forced on the Anand Karaj.

[puzzled]

57 minutes ago, Jonny101 said:

The way things are going in the West it's just a matter of time before we see that circus show happening in a Gurdwaras Sahib. They are brainwashing kids from a young age through sex ed. They've already forced some Christian denominations to allow gay marriage. I've heard from fringe Muslim imams have allowed gay nikas to occur in western Europe. Be ready for when this manmat will also be forced on the Anand Karaj.

It really is a sad state affairs, looking at the direction things are going then it is likely a day will come where Gay Anand Karaj will happen, people might doubt that, but watch it's going to happen. But i have faith in our youth and I'm sure they will take action just how they did when the interfaith Anand Karaj kept on happening, they took action and the Gurdware committees realized they had to cancel the interfaith marriages.  

There are Gay Vicars, Immams, Pandits in the news these days etc    Hindus have already started having Gay weddings, its on youtube and its horrific. 

Reading the article just look how sacred Anand Karaj was, Singh would take Amrit before Anand Karaj and it would take place in Amrit vela, just look at what people have reduced it to in todays time ...

[MisterrSingh]

24 minutes ago, puzzled said:

There are Gay Vicars, Immams, Pandits in the news these days etc    Hindus have already started having Gay weddings, its on youtube and its horrific. 

How will they decide who gets to go first during the parkarma? Who holds the parna, in the case of AK, when both the participants are the same sex? Nevermind, I don't want to think about it.

[Ranjeet01]

8 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

How will they decide who gets to go first during the parkarma? Who holds the parna, in the case of AK, when both the participants are the same sex? Nevermind, I don't want to think about it.

The more butch one

[puzzled]

6 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

How will they decide who gets to go first during the parkarma? Who holds the parna, in the case of AK, when both the participants are the same sex? Nevermind, I don't want to think about it.

 

i think in gay couples one is like the wife the feminine one, while the other is the husband   so they probably carry the roles out according to that         

 

[Jonny101]

24 minutes ago, puzzled said:

It really is a sad state affairs, looking at the direction things are going then it is likely a day will come where Gay Anand Karaj will happen if, people might doubt that, but watch it's going to happen. But i have faith in our youth and I'm sure they will take action just how they did when the interfaith Anand Karaj kept on happening, they made a point and the Gurdware committees realized they had to take action and cancel the interfaith marriages.  

There are Gay Vicars, Immams, Pandits in the news these days etc    Hindus have already started having Gay weddings, its on youtube and its horrific. 

Reading the article just look how sacred Anand Karaj was, Singh would take Amrit before Anand Karaj and it would take place in Amrit vela, just look at what people have reduced it to in todays time ...

Manmat creeps in when people go after the latest fad. Since the last 20 years look at all these anand karaj occurring on the beaches of Mexico with semi naked white women walking around in the Hazuri of Guru Sahib on the beach. Our own have no sharam left when they do this. 

Homosexuality is the latest fad. We are already seeing  our own SJWs making noise about allowing this in a Gurdwara twisting the meaning of Hukm by saying this is all Hukm of Maharaj. Soon the new generation of Sikh kids who have been indoctrinated in schools about this mental disorder through sex ed will do the unspeakable by allowing this manmat to occur.

[puzzled]

16 minutes ago, Jonny101 said:

Manmat creeps in when people go after the latest fad. Since the last 20 years look at all these anand karaj occurring on the beaches of Mexico with semi naked white women walking around in the Hazuri of Guru Sahib on the beach. Our own have no sharam left when they do this. 

Homosexuality is the latest fad. We are already seeing  our own SJWs making noise about allowing this in a Gurdwara twisting the meaning of Hukm by saying this is all Hukm of Maharaj. Soon the new generation of Sikh kids who have been indoctrinated in schools about this mental disorder through sex ed will do the unspeakable by allowing this manmat to occur.

That stuff they are drilling into kids heads in school is messing them up, my colleague a English man told me how his 16 year old autistic son came home one day and said that he is bisexual and that the teachers are saying you can be whatever you want! he said some of his friends have chosen their sexuality while others can't decide yet.

Schools are just a brainwashing program, indoctrination. The government is using school to brainwash kids, you also can't debate and question but have to listen to the person of authority, the teacher, with schools they have created a format where from a young age you're taught how to be a sheep and not question authority. Schools are just a replica of the hierarchy, its where they teach you how to stay in you're place and not question or debate the authority, condition you into thinking that. There is no disagreement or questioning encouraged in schools. 

I watched this Muslim lady complaining on the news how her 6 year old daughter came home after one of these lessons and started rummaging through her brothers clothes because she wanted to be a boy. 

[learningkaur]

Getting married during amrit vela is nice. You should request it for when your time comes.