Rasam Pagri
Encyclopedia
Rasam Pagri or Rasam Dastar is a social ceremony of North India
and Pakistan
, common to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, conducted upon the death of the oldest male member in a family, in which the oldest surviving male member of the family ties a turban (pagri
or dastar) on his head in the presence of the extended family or clan. The turban signifies honor (or izzat
), and the ceremony signifies the transition of responsibility for the protection and welfare of the family from the deceased to the surviving oldest male member. The ceremony usually takes place on the fourth day from the day of funeral rites (Antim Sanskar, also known as Uthala), or on the thirteenth day, Tehravin
.
, Kashmiri
and other languages of the northern Indian subcontinent
. It is derived from the Arabic
word rasm meaning procedure or method. Rasam Pagri literally means the ceremony of the turban.
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, common to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, conducted upon the death of the oldest male member in a family, in which the oldest surviving male member of the family ties a turban (pagri
Pagri (turban)
Pagri or Pagadi is the term for a turban within India and Pakistan. It specifically refers to a headdress that is worn by men and needs to be manually tied. In several regional dialects it is often shortened to Pag .-The cloth:...
or dastar) on his head in the presence of the extended family or clan. The turban signifies honor (or izzat
Izzat (Honor)
Izzat refers to the concept of honor prevalent in the culture of North India and Pakistan. It applies universally across religions , communities and genders...
), and the ceremony signifies the transition of responsibility for the protection and welfare of the family from the deceased to the surviving oldest male member. The ceremony usually takes place on the fourth day from the day of funeral rites (Antim Sanskar, also known as Uthala), or on the thirteenth day, Tehravin
Tehravin
Tehravin refers to the ceremony conducted to mark the final day of mourning after a death by North Indian Hindus, and sometimes Sikhs. The term tehravin means thirteenth, and the ceremony is held on the thirteenth day after the death being mourned...
.
Etymology
Rasam means ceremony in Hindi-Urdu, PunjabiPunjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Kashmiri
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri is a language from the Dardic sub-group and it is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir. There are approximately 5,554,496 speakers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Census of 2001. Most of the 105,000 speakers or so in Pakistan are émigrés from the Kashmir...
and other languages of the northern Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. It is derived from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word rasm meaning procedure or method. Rasam Pagri literally means the ceremony of the turban.