Table of Content
- Chooda Ceremony - What is it exactly?
- The Chooda Ceremony Ritual
- The Chooda Removal Ceremony
- Sisters’ love - Kalire and the Kalire Ceremony
AFTER all that music and dance, the sangeet and jaago night, the auspicious round of haldi and mehendi comes one of the most important ceremonies in Punjabi weddings across Canada, USA, UK, India a bride looks forward to - the chooda ceremony. In the colourful bounty of customs and rituals centered around Punjabi wedding celebrations, the choora ceremony is a tradition that goes back ages in Punjab. Brides-to-be eagerly wait to flaunt this blessed symbol of ‘being married’, and while traditionally the chooda bangles are red and white in colours, brides nowadays add a festive cheer by matching the chooda colour and design with their bridal lehengas/outfits. To add to the festive flavour, the chooda ceremony is clubbed with kalire ceremony, and both are performed a day before the Sikh wedding, early in the morning, usually at the house of the bride, where all the family - the maternal (nanka) and the paternal (dadka) side gather, and witness this beautiful moment.
Chooda Ceremony - What is it exactly?
One of the oldest wedding traditions, the chooda ceremony symbolises new beginnings in a bride’s life. It is conducted by the bride’s maternal uncle, who presents the chooda a day before the Punjabi wedding. The marriage chura is basically a set of beautiful and simple red bangles and white bangles with dots on them. Together they combine to form a chooda, and the set contains the auspicious number of 21 bangles each.
The chooda meaning and symbolism runs deep, for it stands for everything that is bridal. It signifies marriage and fidelity, a bond of love and prosperity. It is the solah shringaar, the ‘mangalsutra’ of the Punjabi Sikh bride. No Punjabi bridal look, be it Canada, UK, USA or India is complete without a chooda and kalire. In the good old days, the chooda was a heavy set, made from ivory, but with changing times and trends, the chooda bangles are now available in different colours and designs. However, the chooda ceremony ritual remains the same.
The Chooda Ceremony Ritual
The maternal uncle and aunt (mama and mami), with a lot of love, brings the chooda kept neatly in a chooda box.
The chooda bangles are then dipped in milk or kachcha doodh as a purification ceremony and to bless the bride with health and good fortune. Make sure to place the chooda bangles tied in their thread in the kachcha doodh/lassi as the chooda bangles are numbered and worn in a certain manner - starting from the largest to the smallest size.
The uncle then takes the chooda bangles out and slips them on the bride’s wrists. Now, according to the chooda ceremony ritual, the bride should keep her eyes closed till the chooda is put on and open only when it is covered with a cloth. Usually, an old white cloth is tied on the chooda to ward off evil and assure good luck to the bride. It is opened on the day of the Punjabi wedding.
In fact, to add a bit of style, one can check out Pataaree’s exclusively designed and handcrafted chooda boxes, thaal and bowl, chooda covers, for the same.
In many Punjabi weddings, the choora ceremony is part of the Nanki Shakk (gifts from the maternal side of the family) for the bride. These gifts can vary from cash, jewellery to clothes and other utility items for the bride and her family. The chooda ceremony ritual continues with the tying of the sacred gaana to the bride’s wrist too by the elders of the family to ward off negative energy and give her blessings.
The Chooda Removal Ceremony
The chooda, these auspicious bangles in Indian weddings, as a ritual to be worn by the bride for a minimum of 40 days to a maximum of a year and a half. The bride’s usually refrain from doing household chores in the first 40 days of their wedding while the chooda is on. The chooda bangles cannot be removed just like that. There is a tradition involving the chooda removal or the chooda utarna or the chooda vadhana, and usually, it’s the bride’s sister-in-law who helps her remove it - either completely or two bangles at a time. In the absence of a sister in law, the mother in law or any elderly lady on the in law’s side performs the chooda removal ceremony. If one wants to go into a detailed chooda vadhana ceremony, then it involves a some steps as it’s an auspicious cermeony - first, a small prayer is recited, then some sweet rice (boil rice with sugar) is prepared as shagun, Once again, kachchi lassi (milk and water) is put in a bowl, and the sister-in-law or mother in law removes the chooda and places it in the bowl for cleansing. After that, it’s wiped clean and many brides preserve the chooda as an heirloom of love. Some even take chooda bangles out and wear it on their wedding anniversaries or karwa chauth. Don’t forget to eat and distribute the sweet rice on this occasion. You can store your chooda bangles in our chooda box!
Sisters’ love - Kalire and the Kalire Ceremony
There is never a dull moment at a Punjabi wedding - the rich tapestry of rituals and customs, the traditions and rasams keeps everyone engaged and invested, and one important part of the chooda ceremony is the kalire ceremony. Now, what is kalire and kalire ceremony? Kalire are these beautiful umbrella shaped golden hangings tied with the chooda and worn for the wedding.
Back in the days, kalire were made of kaudis and threads, and in it were tied dry fruits, dried coconuts, makhane (fox nuts), and other small dry snacks - the reason? Brides had to travel to another village by palanquin or carriage and the journey was long. To make sure she doesn’t go hungry, the dry fruit snacks along with dried coconut were tied to her steel kadas worn with the chooda bangles. Nowadays, the kalire have acquired a fashionable look - from golden to metal to eco-friendly ones to delightful designs of butterflies and birds, the kalire have come a long way in their look. But the kalire ceremony ritual remains the same. On the morning of the chooda ceremony, the sisters and bridesmaids bring the kalire in a kalire box to tie it to the bride’s bangles or kadas. Girls, you can pick lovely chooda-kalire boxes from Pataaree to make this even more memorable.
It’s a sentimental ceremony, for the bride is already in an emotional state post the chooda ceremony. Fun and banter continues as the sisters tie the kalire, and the unmarried girls wait for the bride to shake the kalire on their heads - if any part of the kalire falls on either of them, she is considered lucky and next in line to be married! Ah, the beauty of such rituals! The kalire are removed following the wedding ceremony day, and brides can either leave a part of it at the Gurudwara or temple or preserve them with their chooda.
The Punjabi ceremonies carry a festive fervor and you can pick products related to the wedding ceremonies from Pataaree. Be it Canada, UK, US, we ship globally. 
Conclusion
The chooda ceremony remains a cherished tradition in Punjabi weddings, symbolizing love, prosperity, and new beginnings. Whether celebrated in Canada, the UK, the US, or India, brides eagerly await this ritual, as it reflects their cultural heritage. The sacred red and white bangles, paired with the festive kalire ceremony, create moments filled with joy and blessings. Today, brides often customize their chooda to match their bridal outfits, adding a modern touch to this timeless tradition. Through these rituals, families come together, fostering bonds of love and ensuring the spirit of Punjabi culture lives on.
