Editing Bajoran (section)

==Culture and traditions==

Bajoran tradition [[Eastern name order|places the family name before the given name]]. Thus, [[Kira Nerys]] is called Major Kira (not Major Nerys); likewise, [[Ro Laren]] (Ensign Ro). Bajorans typically consider it an honor when they are addressed correctly by offworlders.

Bajorans' spiritual lives center around the Orbs—alien objects believed to have been sent by the Prophets (the gods)—each of which has a unique ability such as the Orb of Time, which allows those viewing it to revisit past events. Nine orbs have been discovered over the centuries (plus the Orb of the Emissary, during the final season episode "[[Shadows and Symbols]]"); eight were seized by the Cardassians during the Occupation. In the series there are ten orbs although only five are named: the Orb of Prophecy and Change, which was kept on Bajor; the Orbs of Contemplation and of Time, which the Cardassians returned to Bajor; the Orb of Wisdom, which the Ferengi sold to Bajor; and the Orb of the Emissary, which Sisko found. A non-canonical novel names the other five Orbs as the Orbs of Memory, Destiny, Souls, Truth, and Unity.

The Bajoran people were originally divided into [[castes]], called ''d'jarras'', that dictated a person's place in Bajoran society; members of a lower-ranking ''d'jarra'' were expected to defer to those of a higher caste. When the Occupation began, the ''d'jarra'' system was abolished as the resistance movement encouraged all Bajorans to unite, regardless of caste. When the former Bajoran spiritual leader, [[Akorem Laan]], attempted to reintroduce the caste system, it was rejected because it would have made Bajor ineligible for Federation membership (caste-based discrimination is forbidden under Federation law).

Bajorans wear large, chained earrings and ear cuffs called ''d'ja pagh'' on their right ears, as symbols of their religious faith. Before the war against Cardassian occupation, the earring also symbolized one's ''d'jarra''. Even after the Occupation, there were still different styles of earrings passed down through families, but they had lost their original significance. When Akorem Laan encountered Major Kira, he recognized from the style of her earring that she is a member of the artisan ''d'jarra'', even though she was a member of the military, and she explained that the different styles of earring no longer signified anything. Ro Laren [[Religious disaffiliation|lost her faith]] because of her experiences while a Cardassian Prisoner; yet, still defiantly Bajoran, she wears her ''d'ja pagh'' on her left ear. It's later discovered that Ro also used her earring as a covert data storage device which she gave to Jean-Luc Picard shortly before her death.

Bajoran cuisine is not unlike that of many other races. Many Bajorans are fond of hasperat, which is almost identical in taste and texture to that of a large (and often spicy) Earth [[burrito]] prepared in a special brine. Jumja sticks are large, dark red, roughly diamond-shaped popsicle-like sweet confectionery treats, though some other races, like Romulans, have commented that they can be a little too sweet. In addition to various ales, Bajorans have been known to make an alcoholic beverage known as spring wine, which very much like other wines, has vintage years, and the quality of the wine can vary from year to year, and bottles from a particularly good vintage year can become sought-after collector's items among high-ranking Bajorans. Also, humans serving aboard Deep Space Nine would frequently order Terran seafood dishes with Bajoran Shrimp as a substitute, since replication issues aside, transporting shrimp from Earth would be impractical, given the travel time involved.