Members of the Sikh Student Association tied turbans around students heads in front of Dallas Hall Wednesday morning as part of their annual Sikh Turban Day. The event raises awareness of Sikh culture and history. (Taylor Henry/The Daily Campus)

More than 180 SMU students attended SMU Sikh Student Association’s Sikh Turban Day, where they got turbans tied on their heads and learned about the Sikh religion.

Members of the Sikh Student Association as well as Sikh students from University of Texas-Dallas, University of North Texas and University of Texas-Arlington stood outside of Dallas Hall from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday tying turbans and educating the SMU community on the Sikh religion and the history of turbans. They also provided free Indian food, T-shirts and gift cards.

The event was to raise awareness of the Sikh religion around campus.

Students were taught the history of the turban and the Sikh religion while getting their turbans tied, and they were to wear the turbans for three hours and then return them for free T-shirts and gift cards.

Junior Travis Carlile, while getting his turban tied, said that it was “a good event to raise awareness of the Sikh religion.”

Responses to the event were positive, as many students wearing turbans were seen around campus all day.

“Watching students take time to experience aspects from cultures other than their own is a great unifying factor on our campus,” first-year Monica Finnegan said. “Today, I learned how to wrap a turban.”

Jaywin Malhi, a member of the Sikh Student Association, commented on the turnout of the event.

“I think it’s been a success,” Malhi said. “It’s rewarding to see people appreciate the religion and be enlightened about it.”

Malhi’s average turban tying time Wednesday was five minutes, but he usually takes about 15 minutes to tie his own turban every morning.

Sawi Gill, a Sikh student from UTD, was pleased with the success of the event.

“It’s a really good turnout, and it’s positive for our community,” Gill said. “A lot of people think of the turban as a negative symbol, and we are changing that perception to a positive one.”

Sikhism was founded in India in 1500 as a religion in reaction to Hindu and Islam, and it is now the fifth largest religion in the world.

Sikhs see their hair as a gift from God, so they do not cut it.

The turban used to be a symbol of aristocracy, like a crown, but now it is worn by all to symbolize equality for all people. Turbans were also used to distinguish Sikhs in India among the many other religious groups.

Not only do turbans have strong religious and cultural importance, but they are also very practical.

They protect hair from external pollutants by keeping it covered and clean.