A bangle is one of the most important ornaments that an Indian woman wears.
For
married women, bangles hold a special significance as they are a sign of their suhaag.
Bangles have always been an inseparable part of Indian culture. No wonder, bangles
feature in so many of our film as well as folk songs. Let us take a look at what makes
bangles such a special part of the Indian culture, especially for weddings.
Bangles are traditionally a part of the solah shringar of Indian brides. It is mandatory for
newly wed brides and would-be-brides to wear bangles made of glass, gold or other
metals as they signify the long life of the husband. They signify good fortune and
prosperity. Traditionally breaking of the bridal glass or lac bangles is considered
inauspicious.
Bangles, over time have become much trendier to suit a more contemporary look, but
they are still as significant as they were millennia ago. Bangles with geometric designs
give them a funky look, however, for traditional ceremonies only circular glass or metal
bangles are preferred. People in different states of the country call them by different
names. But, they have equal importance in Indian wedding tradition, notwithstanding the
geographical boundaries.
Every region has a separate set of rituals that are associated with bangles. Would-be-brides
wear the smallest possible bangles with the help of oil. This signifies that her married life would
be full of love and affection.
In the southern states, gold is considered extremely auspicious. In some
communities, the brides wear green coloured glass bangles along with the gold
ones, since green signifies fertility and prosperity.
In Bengal, a new bride wears a conch shell bangle and a red coral bangle, which
are locally called shakha and pola. Apart from this, the mother-in-law gifts her
daughter-in-law a gold plated iron bangle the moment she enters her new
household.
In Rajasthan and Gujarat, the brides wear such ivory bangles or chooda as
well. In Gujarat, the bride’s maternal uncle gives her the chooda in a
ceremony calledmameru, along with the bridal silk saree with the red border.
In Punjab, brides-to-be wear ivory and red bangles called chooda. The
maternal uncle of the bride gifts her a set of chooda. She is supposed to wear
these bangles for a given period of time, and they can wear these for a
minimum of forty days or longer depending on the individual family’s custom.
In Maharashtra, the bridal chooda is significantly different. The brides wear green
glass bangles in odd numbers. The green signifies creativity, new life and fertility.
They wear these along with solid gold bangles called patlya and
carved kadas calledtode. The gold bangles are usually gifted by the groom's family.
In the Indian culture, different coloured bangles traditionally signify different things.
Red signifies energy and prosperity, while green denotes good luck and fertility.
Yellow bangles are meant for happiness, white is for new beginnings and orange is
for success. Silver bangles denote strength and gold bangles are the ultimate symbol
of fortune and prosperity.
For Indian women, bangles are not just mere ornaments. Indian women love
their bangles. It is a tradition to wear bangles after marriage for the sake of
health, luck and prosperity. Bangles are more than accessories for Indian
women. They are a part of their identity.
Sarojini Naidu (née Chattopadhyaya; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was famously
known as the Nightingale of India. Being a child prodigy, she excelled in her
matriculations, and was proficient in many languages- Bengali, English, Telegu, Urdu and
Persian. She was the daughter of the renowned scientist, philosopher, linguist, educator
Aghornath Chattopadhyaya and the Bengali poetess Barada Sundari Devi.
