Monday 10 June 2013

Significance Of The Orange Turban

By Mara Boone


A turban is a kind of head-wear based on cloth winding. There are many varieties of turban, and it is the custom to be worn by men, although women around the world wear turbans as well. Communities with traditions of turban-wearing can be found in Asia, and parts of Africa and the Middle East. There are many different colors, with the orange turban being the most popular.

People wear turbans for many different reasons, whether it's religious, cultural, or simply to make a fashion statement. This head-wear is very common among Sikhs. While different colors do have symbolic significance, for the most part the choice of a Sikh's head covering color is personal preference.

People of the Sikh faith must follow a specific code of conduct. Sikhs are never to cut their hair, as this honors their creator. In order to maintain clean and untangled hair, Sikhs wear turbans. Male Sikhs must wear a turban; however, female members may instead use a traditional headscarf. There is nothing in the religion that dictates a certain color has to be worn, and Sikhs may choose any color of their liking.

Bath and bedtime are the two occasions when turbans are removed. After removal, it's carefully unwrapped so that it does not touch the floor. After this process it is cleaned and neatly folded so that it can be used again. Each Sikh has a daily routine, and this includes keeping the hair clean and neat. This is accomplished by shampooing the hair, or simply rinsing with water. Such hygiene occurs before the morning's meditative practices.

Men and women of the Sikh faith may match their head-wear with whatever outfit they choose to wear for that day. A woman's headscarf can be either a solid color or multicolored. Many headscarves have decorative embroidery.

While there is no rule that Sikhs must have a solid color of head-wear, most do choose the same color on a daily basis out of ease and personal preference. Blue and black are common colors as they are easier to match with daily wear.

More traditional Sikhs can choose from colors that have special meaning in their culture. These colors are often worn by people of an older generation, and those who have had a more traditional upbringing. The significance of these colors varies.

Orange represents courage and wisdom, while royal blue is commonly worn by those learned in Sikh religion. Both orange and blue are traditional colors of Sikhism. Some Sikhs typically wear only these colors for their turbans and clothes. Red is a commonly worn color at wedding ceremonies and other days of celebration. Other commonly worn colors are black, representing humility, and white which signifies purity.

The orange turban is perhaps the most common of all colors because this color signifies both courage and knowledge. These are two very special qualities among those practicing Sikhism. For this reason, the color orange is quite common in the wardrobe of many Sikh men and women.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment