Indian weddings with their colorful, dazzling and alluring aura are a trademark of India’s rich culture and heritage. India has a colorful mosaic of vibrant and
flamboyant people with their traditions, cultures, religions, beautiful monuments, and a variety of cuisines. The weddings in the country are usually very extravagant, lavish and profuse. Every young Indian bride desires for a big fat wedding and craves to look their best for the same. It is probably the spirit of this occasion that transforms every so-called ‘plain-Jane’ into a stunning and gorgeous bride. The traditional dress is usually a wedding sari or a wedding lehenga coupled with expensive and charming jewelry and heavy make-up to compliment the same. But the beautiful, intricate designs of henna or mehandi, are pre-eminent in this auspicious occasion. The bridal wear varies from state to state depending on their traditions, religious belief and culture. The customary color of the Indian bridal sari, usually for Hindus, is red and is accompanied with golden embellishments, embroidery or ornamentation. Christian brides from Kerala on the other hand wear a white silk sari or a western bridal gown complimented with no or minimal accessories. The traditionally red silk sari is being replaced by fabrics like Georgette, crepe, chiffon, satin, cotton-silk, tissue etc. There also have been variations in the color of the sari, unlike the regular red, and they are, green, yellow, gold, pink, maroon and brown.
THE KASHMIRI BRIDAL DRESS
The Kashmiri bridal wear is very elaborate and detailed. The bride wears an embroidered (usually a hand embroidery) wedding lehenga done in complex zari work which is quite bedazzled and shimmery. The lehenga is usually in a red, yellow or green color. The traditional Kashmiri bridal dress which many brides prefer to wear is called the Pehran, which consists of two long, detached gowns, one on top of the other, the hem being below the knees for Muslims, falling to the feet for Hindus, which is usually done in aari or hook embroidery, also at the neck, cuffs and edges. Muslims wear the sleeves wide and open and Hindus wear narrow ones with turned up ends.
The Pehran is matched with a tight shalwar and shoes called Gurgabi whic
h is done in heavy bead and sequence embroidery and also zari work. Kashmiri brides love jewellery, headgears, arm cuffs and hoops. They wear a headgear called Kalpush. It is a cap lined with silk or cotton on the inside which is folded two to three times. Over the Kalpush a long piece of white scarf/cloth is wrapped in three to four layers which is called the Zoojh. A white glace paper is stitched over the Zoojh. The complete headwear is called the Tarang. Haligandun is a Pashmina belt one and a half metres wide and two metres long which is tied to the waist and its edges are embroidered with golden and silk threads. The Kashmiri Hindu brides wear a pair of Dejharoo which has a similar significance of that of a mangal-sutra, is a pair of golden pendants which hangs on a silk thread or gold chain through holes pierced at the top of the ear lobes. The Kashmiri Muslim brides wear a bunch of earrings, a thick silver chain supports the weight. They wear gold/silver jewellery with minakari work done in precious stones like ruby and emeralds.
THE PUNJABI BRIDAL DRESS
The Punjabi bridal wear is very lively, vibrant and intricately designed. Wedding saris are not as popular with Punjabi brides as their traditional attire which includes lehenga or salwar-kameez. These are usually red in colour but can vary from pink to orange in colour. The auspicious colour of the bridal dress for the Anand Karaj (a Sikh marriage ceremony symbolic of a ‘Blissful Union’ or ‘Joyful union’), as it signifies prosperity, opulence and success in a bride’s married life. The traditional attire is one in beautiful bead and applique work and also embroidered to perfection. The fabrics used are mostly raw silk, georgette, velvet and net. The fabric is beautified with complex zari work, resham work, patch border work or even phulkari. The dupatta is embroidered with dotted with hand-beaded work usually in gold and the border done in gorgeous gold/silk embroidery. The dupatta is draped over her head and shoulders and is pinned safely or left loosely as long as her hair is covered while she is being wed in the temple of Gurudwara in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib. The bride along with her wedding lehenga or sari wear a long necklace called Ranihaar which is a heavy ornament made of gold. The bride also wears red and white ivory bangles called ‘Chooras’ which signify her status as a newly married bride. Along with these she also wear gold bangles gifted by her family. Kaleere or Kalira are two dome-shaped gold plated ornaments that are often light-weight and are tied to the bride’s chooras by her relatives to convey their blessings and good wishes for her future. Just like in the western culture, a bride throws a bouquet of flowers at the eligible girls with her backed turned to them, the one who grabs it being the next to get married, a Punjabi bride lightly bangs her Kaleere on their heads which signify that these girls would get married next. The bride also wears a maang tikka or pendant tikka and a nose ring called nath usually gifted to her by her maternal uncle.