Come Saturday, April 21, and one will witness hundreds of people donning a turban at the Aotea Centre in Auckland City.
Auckland Turban Day, the annual event brought by Sikh Youth NZ will host the event in the city to educate people about turbans and the religion, Sikhism.
The event aims to create public awareness about Sikhism amongst the larger communities in Auckland. New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and the Sikh community has contributed immensely towards the society.
Turban Day was first started in New York, United States when a group of people hosted a small yet significant event to offer the general public an opportunity to wear a turban. This event quickly became viral on social media and eventually became a part of the annual calendar in many countries.
“The event is an opportunity for everyone to understand and to feel how it is like to have a turban tied on them. And to raise awareness and educate our peers and the wider community on what it means to wear the Sikh turban,” a representative from Sikh Youth NZ told The Indian Weekender.
The event aims to exhibit the richness of the Sikh community and why Sikhs have a distinct appearance –the turban that is worn by both male and female members of the Sikh community.
“Our communities should have a better understanding of why there are boys in our schools, workplaces and the wider New Zealand community who wear a Dastaar every day. This can help our non-Sikh friends understand our Sikh friends better and hopefully reduce the racial profiling which still exists in New Zealand,” a representative from the Association said.
The organisers have invited everyone to come to the event and try to wear the turban. There will be volunteers who would provide the Dastaar and tie the turban for the visitors.
“The event has been very successful in the past few years, and we aim to see more people joining us at the event showcasing our rich culture,” he added.
Auckland Turban Day 2018 will be held at in an open space at Aotea Centre, Auckland Civic Centre in the CBD from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m.
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