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Summary of Question:	Drinking Before A Wedding?
Category:	Sikh Practices
Date Posted:	Friday, 3/05/2004 7:33 AM MST

I recently atttended a friends wedding , He is a Bhatra Sikh and I was shocked to see the Bhatras drinking and eating meat before they entered the temple?

Also Theyre women are not allowed to show there face and they also dont see theyre intended wife until after the wedding, I realise that some of these are old traditions (i.e my grandparents didnt see each other until the wedding day ) but some I just cant understand, can you please explain why and what justification do they have as I know that this is not permitted in Anand Pur Sahib or The Golden Temple (Harmandhar Sahib)

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reply
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Sat Siri Akaal. People often confuse Sikh practices with Indian traditional cultural practices that existed long before Sikhi. Nothing of what you describe is particular to Sikhs, but is common to Indian culture or sub-cultures. So, there is no SIKH justification for what you describe, only regional, Bhatra, family/clan, or other cultural tradition. Often, such traditions go unquestioned. The sad thing is the Gurdwara didn't suggest that the drinking and the meat business be avoided altogether before attending the gurdwara.
Guru rakha,
-DKK