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A rumāl ( Punjabi: ਰੁਮਾਲ) is a piece of clothing similar to a
A rumāl ( Punjabi: ਰੁਮਾਲ) is a piece of clothing similar to a handkerchief
A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as w ...
or bandana
A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvre-chef'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana or bandanna, is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the Human head, head, face, or neck for protective or decorative purposes. The popularity of ...
. It is worn by men who cut their hair and other guests when they are in a gurdwara
A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...
. Covering the head is respectful in Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
and if a man is not wearing a turban
A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...
, then a rumāl must be worn before entering the gurdwara. Rumāls are also worn by Sikh children on their topknot called joora
In Sikhism, kesh or kes (Gurmukhi: ਕੇਸ) is the practice of allowing one's hair to grow naturally without cutting. The practice is one of The Five Kakaars, the outward symbols ordered by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as a means to profess the S ...
, and by Sikh males while engaging in athletic activities.
In most gurdwaras, there is often a basket of rumāls outside for welcoming in more guests. If there are no rumāls supplied by the gurdwara then a clean and plain handkerchief is the most suitable cloth to use.
Outside the context of Sikhism, a rumāl is simply the Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
, Nepali and Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
word for handkerchief, and will be understood as such. Its association with Sikhism is not implied.
See also
*Patka
Patka is a Sikh headgear ''in lieu'' of the full Sikh turban. It is worn by young Sikh boys and sportsmen to cover a small topknot called '' joora'' which sits at the top of their head. Patka is a square piece of cotton, usually with four str ...
References
Sikh religious clothing Punjabi words and phrases Indian headgear {{Sikhism-stub