Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland

. PEOPLE OF INDIA ORIGIN BACKGROUND An estimated one thousand people make up the Indian community living in Northern Ireland. Most of the original families who settled here in the 1920s came from two main areas in Northern India, the states of Punjab and Gujarat. These are largely rural areas and most families will have been farmers or small landowners. A minority of the Indian community may have originated from Southern India and urban areas in other parts of India. Many of today's Indian population were born in the Province. LANGUAGE A few hundred different languages and dialects are spoken throughout India. The language spoken by Indian people living in Northern Ireland will depend on the part of India they or their families originated from. Southern Indian languages are very different from North Indian languages and people from the north and south of India do not share a common language. The main languagues spoken are listed below: Punjabi This is spoken by individuals originating from the Punjab. It is written in the gurmukhi alphabet. Gujarati This is spoken by those people who originate from Gujarat. It is written in devnagri alphabet. Kutchi This is the language of individuals who originate from Kutch in Northern Gujarat. Hindi This is the administrative language used in Northern India and many Indians may speak Hindi as well as their own regional language. The amount of English spoken by people in the Indian community will depend upon where they were born, their life experience and education. As English is taught in schools and colleges in India, many individuals who have subsequently settled in Northern Ireland, can speak English. RELIGION Hinduism This is the principal religion in India. Most people originating from Gujarat are Hindus. Only a small minority originating from the Punjab are Hindus. Prayer is an important part of Hinduism and Hindus traditionally worship in a temple or family shrine. Hindus believe in reincarnation and the sacredness of life. Sikhism Sikhism is a reformist movement of Hinduism founded in the Punjab in the 16th century. The majority of Indian people originating from the Punjab are SiLhs. Sikhs worship in a Sikh temple and their Holy Book is the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism combines the concepts of Hinduism and Islam. A very small minority of Indian people are Muslims or Christians Hindu Festivals There are several Indian calendars and not all Hindus follow the same calendar. Some of the main Hindu festivals are described below. Ram Navami This is the celebration of the birth of Lord Rama, who is an important figure in Hinduism. It is a day of fasting followed by celebrations at night. Jaram Ashtami This is a festival commemorating the birth of Krishna. It is celebrated with night-long prayers at the temple. Durgo Ashtami This celebrates the birthday of the Goddess of wealth and knowledge. It is a day of fasting followed by a whole night of prayers. Diwali This occurs around October/November time. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and is the most widely-celebrated Hindu festival of all marking the start of the Hindu New Year for many Hindus. Sikh festivals Gurpurbs These are Holy days for remembering and honouring the birth or death of a Guru. The three most regularly celebrated festivals are the birthdays of Guru Nanak (November), Guru Gobind Singh (December or January) and the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan (May or June). Baisakhi Foundation Day This falls on April 13 or 14 and is the only Sikh festival which has a fixed date in the calendar. Diwali Although this is a Hindu festival, it is also of significance to Sikhs. It falls in October or November. DIET Hindus There are a number of dietary restrictions related to the Hindu way of life. Hindus are strict vegetarians by religion and do not eat meat, fish, eggs or anything made with them. However, some Hindus may eat eggs and occasionally some meat. As the cow is regarded as being sacred, beef is always strictly forbidden and pork is not normally eaten as it is considered unclean. Cheese may also be restricted because of the animal rennet used in its manufacture. Children of strict Hindu upbringing might be reluctant to take school meals in case they contain meat or eggs. Some vegetarians would also be unhappy about eating vegetables, if served from the same plate or with the same utensils, as meat. Where meals are included as part of a given service, practitioners should be aware of the importance of providing a varied, interesting and balanced diet for those individuals who practise dietary restrictions. Other Hindu families may be less strict about their children's diets. The traditional staple food is the chappati although rice is also included in the Indian diet. Milk, yoghurt, curries and fresh fruit feature strongly in the Indian diet. Pulses provide the major source of protein. Fasting may be practised by some Hindus but it would usually involve restricting food intake rather than eating nothing at all. Weaning babies onto solid foods tends to take place at a much later stage than is usual in the west. The introduction of solids comprising of staple foods from the region of origin of the family may not be made until the baby is a year old. A mixture of rice and dhal in the form of a type of kedgeree would be a typical food used for weaning babies in the Indian community. Sikhs Sikhism has retained many features of Hinduism and Sikhs follow a similar diet to Hindus with the same dietary restrictions. Devout Sikhs tend to be strict vegetarians. The only significant point of difference is that Sikhs are forbidden to eat meat which is halal i.e. where the animal has been killed in a ritual way for Muslims. Muslims For information about the dietary restrictions for the small minority of Indian people who are Muslims, please refer to the separate item on people of the Muslim faith. LIFESTYLE, CUSTOMS AND SIGNIFICANT RELIGIOUS PRACTICES With regard to hygiene, all people of Indian origin may prefer to have water for washing in the same room as the toilet. When a bedpan is used during a stay in hospital, the patient may be grateful to have a container of water provided for washing. Patients may also prefer to wash in free-flowing water rather than sitting in a bath. Traditionally, Hindus boys will have their head shaven three times in the first five years of their life. The significance of this ritual known as the Mundane, is to recognise the boy's manhood. The first shave occurs at the age of one in the presence of priests, family and friends. Prayers are said, gifts are given and food is served. Hospital staff caring for a Hindu patient who is dying may notice relatives bringing in money and clothes for the patient to touch before they are distributed to the poor and needy. In the event of a death, the body should be left covered until relatives come to wash and dress the body in new clothes. In the Hindu community, it is traditionally the eldest son of the deceased who takes the leading part in this task no matter how young he is. Cremation of the body is preferred except for children under five, who are buried. Sikhs never cut their children's hair. The head is treated with respect and it is possible that patting of a child's head may cause offence to some parents. Sikhs also wash the body after death. The body is then dressed in white clothes before being cremated. DRESS Hindus A sari worn over a blouse and underskirt is the traditional Hindi female dress. However, most young females living in the UK have adopted Western-style clothes for every day wear. A preference to keep legs covered up means that trousers or a long skirt are most commonly worn. Most males wear Western-style shirts and trousers although when at home the kameez (shirt), pajama (loose cotton trousers) and dhoti (white cloth worn around waist and between the legs) are usually worn. Sikhs Modesty among the Sikh females is more apparent than in the Hindi community and this can be seen in the style of dress. Traditional female costume comprises of the kameez (knee length tunic), shalwar (loose f~tting trousers) and the dupatta or chador (a long scarf). The scarf is used to cover the head in the presence of unrelated men. Even when Western dress is worn by young girls at school, they will usually change into the shalwar kameez once they are back at home. Men may be identified by a turban worn over long hair which must not be cut. Young boys will have their hair pulled up into a topknot which is covered by cotton material. Most male Sikhs will wear five symbols of their religion which include uncut hair and beard, a comb worn under the turban, special undergarments, a small dagger and a steel bangle.   CONTENTS People of Bangladeshi Origin People of Indian Origin People of Iranian Origin People of Islamic Origin People of Malay Origin People of Pakistani Origin People of the Baha'i Faith People of Vietnamese Origin The Chinese Community The Jewish Community Background The Travelling People in Northern Ireland   . .