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In Honor of a Guru
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LIVINGSTON -- Livingston's annual Sikh parade courses along what may be the most blessed route in Merced County.
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Before a single float set out on its journey Sunday, a team of barefoot, broom-wielding marchers swept the street clean and sprinkled the route with holy water.
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The parade, to honor the religion's 10th and last guru, or spiritual teacher, Gobind Singh, began shortly after noon with a canopied float displaying the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, easing its way through the gates of the Sikh temple and onto Peach Avenue.
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Behind it walked about 4,000 faithful on a two-mile route from the Peach Avenue temple to the B Street temple across town. There, worshippers stopped for snacks and prayers, then returned to the Peach Avenue temple for final prayers and a shared meal that is part of the Sikh faith.
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In India, the parade -- called Hola Mohalla, or "mock fight" -- features swordsmen on horseback performing mock battles to demonstrate martial-arts skills. It is held on the first day of the lunar month of Chet, which usually falls in March, and was instituted by Gobind Singh as a time for military-preparedness exercises.
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Gobind Singh was born in 1666 and was guru from 1675 until his death in 1708. It was Singh who instituted what is known as the 4K's, one of which, kesh, is having uncut hair and a beard and wearing a turban.
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Observers enjoy pageantry
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In Livingston, the parade was a peaceful river of color flowing through dusty streets. A half-dozen flatbed trucks festooned with shiny gold streamers, roses and portraits of the 10 Sikh gurus served as floats.
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Dozens of children and older paradegoers rode in back. Occasionally, a truck would stop and someone would help a tired marcher climb up a ladder and onto the float.
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Prayer music set to hip-hop beats blared from speakers; other songs came from live musicians playing instruments atop the floats.
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Older bearded men wore suits and turbans. Some boys chose Lakers jerseys, jeans and bandannas instead of turbans to cover their heads.
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Women wore salwar kameezes, or traditional clothing, in every color of the rainbow: ruby, tangerine, lavender, parrot green and Caribbean turquoise among them.
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The overall effect was beautiful, but somewhat puzzling to Livingston residents who watched the procession.
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"We've watched it for so many years, and we still really don't know what it's about," said Erika Gaspar, who had a front-row seat on her Peach Avenue porch. Gaspar said she enjoys the parade because of the friendliness of the marchers -- one had offered her food and drink.
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"It looks excellent," said Jose Lomeli, another spectator. "We like the way they do it, but we don't know what it's for."
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For Sikh marchers, the parade offered a chance to show respect for their religion, which originated in the late 15th century under the leadership of Guru Nanak, and meet with the larger Sikh community.
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"This is where you connect to your religion," said 21-year-old Gurjeet Sohal, a Ceres resident.
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Marchers came from across the state, and said they likely would see each other again at the Stockton parade in April and the large Yuba City parade in November.
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Parade organizer Gurpal Samra called the day a success, noting a larger turnout than last year and two additions: a Livingston fire engine that brought up the rear of the parade, and a group of Sikhs from Los Angeles.
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Atwater resident and parade watcher JoJo Medrano said she was "touched" by the friendliness of the marchers.
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"This is just wonderful," said Medrano. "I think if we lived in Livingston, I would be a Sikh."
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Source: www.modbee.com
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