Festivities honour founder

New Zealand Sikhs this weekend mark the birth of their religion's founder, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Three-day long celebrations began yesterday, with rituals and religious observances in temples; priests take turns completing a 48-hour uninterrupted recitation of the Sikh holy scriptures, while various people come into the temple to help in preparations for the bhog, the culmination ceremony that takes place after the recitation.

The priests preach, hymns are sung and then everyone sits down for a large feast where up to 1500 are fed. The free communal meal, prepared and eaten together, is seen as a leveller, cutting through caste divides and social mores of ancient times.

Sikhism, which is over 500 years old, was founded on a collection of the 15th century's progressive thoughts.

The identifiable characteristics - such as the beard and turban - were established in 1699 when the khalsa tradition was formed. All family and caste names were obliterated. Men took the surname Singh (the lion) and women Kaur (the lioness).