ਕਲੀਰੇ

Kaleere (ਕਲੀਰੇ) are the umbrella-shaped ornaments a Punjabi bride wears dangling from her chooda, the red and white bangles her maternal uncle gives her. Tied on by her sisters and friends on the wedding morning, they carry blessings for prosperity and happiness, and a playful promise about who will marry next.

What does kaleere mean in Punjabi?

Kaleere is the plural of kaleera, also spelled kalira, and it names the dome or umbrella shaped hangings tied to a bride's chooda. They are a Punjabi and Himachali wedding tradition. Traditional kaleere are gold, silver or brass coloured, hung with beads, small domes and strands that sway and softly sound as the bride moves. They signify marital happiness, love, and abundance of food and prosperity in the home the bride is going to.

The tying happens on the morning of the wedding, just after the chooda ceremony. The bride's sisters and friends take turns attaching the kaleere to the bangles on her wrists. Because they are tied by the women closest to her, the ornaments are read as a gesture of support and blessing, and as a reminder of the unmarried sisters and cousins she leaves behind at her parents' home.

Why does the bride shake her kaleere over her friends?

Because of a much loved custom: after the tying, the bride shakes her kaleere over the heads of her unmarried sisters, cousins and friends, and if a piece of a kaleera falls on one of them, it is believed that she will be the next to marry. The moment turns the blessing into a game, full of laughter and teasing, and it is often the most photographed part of the chooda morning.

What were kaleere originally made of?

Originally kaleere were not metal ornaments at all. They were strung with edible things: tiny coconuts, puffed fox nuts called makhana, dried fruits and nuts. A bride once travelled for hours or days to reach her husband's home, often beside in-laws she barely knew, and the kaleere let her eat quietly on the journey without having to ask her new family for food. Look closely at a modern kaleera and you can still see that past in its shapes: the domes echo coconut shells and the small hangings echo fox nuts. Today the edible charms have become decorative gold plated ornaments, sometimes personalised with pearls, shells or flowers, but they still stand for prosperity and blessings.