What Is The Importance Of Bangles In Indian Culture?

By Author: girijaseth
Total Articles: 14
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Every girl dreams of getting married to the person she loves the most. She has many expectations of living a happily married life and starting a family. The occasion has a lot of pomp and splendour, and both the families unite to celebrate the union. They bless the couple with a long and happy married life and pray to the Lord to give them all the happiness in the world.
 
Bangles are one of the most important ornaments for Indian women. For married women, they hold a special significance as they are a sign of their identity. They are an inseparable part of Indian culture. No wonder, they feature in so many films as well as folk songs.
 
It is the identity of every bride
 
A bangles design is traditionally a part of the solah shringar of Indian brides. Newlywed brides and would-be-brides must wear them made of glass, gold or other metals as they signify the long life of the husband. They represent good fortune and prosperity. Over time, they have become trendier to suit the contemporary ...
... lifestyle. However, they are still as significant as before.
 
Many geometric designs are also available which give them a funky look, but in traditional ceremonies, brides only wear circular glass, Kundan bangles, or metal ones. People in different states of India call them by other names. They have equal importance in the wedding tradition, despite the geographical boundaries.
 
Traditional significance
 
Every region has separate rituals associated with online jewellery. Would-be brides wear the smallest possible pair with the help of oil. It signifies that their married lives would be full of love and affection. In southern India, gold is an auspicious element. In some communities, brides wear green coloured glass jewellery on their wrists along with gold ones to signify fertility and prosperity. In Bengal, brides wear a conch bangle and a red coral bangle on both the wrists. These are locally known as Shankha and Pola. Apart from these, the mother-in-law gifts them a gold plated iron accessory to wear on the wrist the moment they enter the house.
 
In Rajasthan and Gujarat, the brides wear ivory chooda as well. In Gujarat, the bride’s maternal uncle gives them to her in a ceremony called mameru, along with the bridal silk saree with the red border. In Punjab, brides-to-be wear ivory and red chooda.
 
The maternal uncle of the bride gifts it to her. She is supposed to wear them for a given period, like a minimum of forty days or longer, depending on the individual family’s custom. Brides also love to wear Kundan bangles set because it gives them a traditional and ethnic look.