Gurdwara Visit

Our group had the opportunity to finish our unit on the religion of Sikhism with a visit to one of the Gurdwara’s (their place of worship) on the island. It was a wonderful evening, as the community was incredibly welcoming and hospitable to us.

At a Gurdwara, it’s the practice for everyone to cover his or her head out of respect. We were provided orange bandana type cloths to use, and a few of us even had the opportunity to get a traditional turban tied on. I stuck with the classic cloth, felt like I was back in my Girl Scout days!

The services at Sikh Gurdwara can last for hours, so we simply went in for about 15 minutes to observe. There was live music and singing, and everyone was seated on the ground, facing the alter and their holy book.

After the service, we were served a huge meal by volunteers of the Gurwara. It’s customary that everyone eats after attending, and so we just joined the rest. It was incredible how much food they kept bringing out to us. I ate way to much and was uncomfortably full, but I couldn’t say no to all the new dishes to try! It was a really enjoyable evening, and I actually really liked the atmosphere of the Gurdwara. Everyone was friendly, hospitable, and generous, and completely tolerant of us taking a ton of pictures in our hilarious head coverings!