Langar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A communal meal offered to all, regardless of background or beliefs, often served in a gurdwara to foster community and inclusivity
2. A shared dining experience in Sikh culture, where food is provided freely to anyone, demonstrating hospitality and equality
3. A meal served in a place of worship, emphasizing communal harmony and serving as a spiritual practice for those who partake

Etymology: The word "langar" has a surprising connection to "anchor". Its ancestor in Classical Persian was "langar", meaning a public eating-place attached to a Sufi shrine, where pilgrims and the poor were fed. The same Persian word also named an anchor, which is why it is a doublet of the English "anchor": two words from one root that took different paths into different languages. Ships and anchoring places share the idea of holding fast, and the same root came to mean a fixed place of provision. From Persian the word passed into Hindi and Punjabi, where it kept its sense of a free communal kitchen. In Sikh gurdwaras, the langar is the shared meal served to everyone who enters, regardless of caste, religion, or wealth. Seated together on the floor, people eat the same food, and the practice is considered a form of service and spiritual discipline for those who cook, serve, and eat.

Synonyms: community kitchen, free kitchen