Everything about Bangles

Apart from necklaces and earrings, bangles are one of the oldest ornaments known to man and well women. Bangles are considered sacred due to their circular shape and are said to denote the all encompassing power of nature. Being continuous, they represent the circle of life. They are the mark of both grace as well as valour. I have been making lots of bangles this past month and I thought it would be interesting to write about them. In this post, I’ll be looking at almost Everything about bangles. We will discuss styles, measurements, what they represent, their material culture and their inexplicable ties to fashion, body and society.

Indian Bangles – Their significance & Material culture

Bangles are an intrinsic part of Indian culture. It is said that the word bangle itself was derived from the word “bangri’ or ‘bangli’. They can be seen in statues and figurines right from the Harappan period to the Nizams. In India, wearing of bangles at different stages of life is practiced in an almost ceremonial manner. The 11th or 13th day after a baby (male or female) is born, it is adorned with black seed bead bracelets, vasambhu bangles and flat gold bangles.

In most traditional families women are always expected to wear bangles, as empty wrists are equated to empty coffers and are a sign of misfortune. Only widows leave their wrists bare. At the present, hardly anybody (women of my generation and younger) wears bangles on a daily basis. However, most women would wear them during functions, festivals, and even family gatherings.

In addition, when a girl gets married she is given new ceremonial bangles. It would green or red glass bangles in some communities, gold in others. The shanka – paula of Bengali brides and the chooda (choora) of the Punjabi brides are famous all over the world. In very few families bangles (kangan) are given by the mother-in-law or the groom as welcome gift to the bride. Furthermore, they are not removed for a certain number of days after the wedding giving the girl the “newly wed” perks a.k.a time bond with her husband without being burdened by heavy housework.

During the 7th month of pregnancy, the expecting mother is adorned with 11 -12 bangles on each hand. Interestingly, this one of those rare times  when multicolor bangles are worn with absolutely no coordination. Women are also presented with glass bangles during Navaratri and other festivals as a part of Thamboolam. Bangles are bought for little girls of the extended family during the temple car or chariot festival (Ther Thiruvizha) as a celebratory gesture.

Are there any reasons behind these rituals, one might wonder? Of course, there are and here are a few that I know of.

Why do we wear bangles?

• In Infants Bangles help in strengthening the wrists and help the mother keep note of the baby’s growth.
• They help you avoid awkward hand movements thus preventing RSI, i.e repetitive strain injury
• The constant friction at the wrist helps in regulating blood circulation
• Copper wire bangles help in soothing your nerves and keep you balanced. They reduce nerve pull and numbness to an extent, particularly when your body is in contact with the ground for a long time.
• Pregnant women wear bangles to help others in the family keep track of their movements in the house. If the woman is in pain or is unable to call for help verbally, the jingling sound of the bangles can be used to call for attention.
• The Jingling sound of the bangles (worn by the mother) is said to aid the unborn baby’s sensory development in the womb. * Input by our reader Nandhini
• Glass bangles signify the fragile nature of relationships. Married women are asked to wear them to serve as a reminder that through their words and actions they must keep the family intact and not do or say anything that will break the ties in the family
• Last but not the least they make you feel pretty and hence are a part of Shola Shringar (16 practices to help you look beautiful) 🙂

Bangle Materials

Depending on the status of the family, their wealth, the occasion and the inclination of the person wearing them, the bangles could be made up of gold, glass, plastic or a base metal like copper, brass or pewter finished in accordance to the latest trend. Special occasion bangles could be made of Lac with rhinestones, POP, silk thread, or embroidered fabric. I have ones in my collections that are made of rubber, wire, velvet fabric and even paper. A lot of Indian men wear metal bangles too – in steel, copper, brass or silver. Some wear it due to religious beliefs whilst others wear it just to accessorise.

Bangles Sizing

Bangles  are sized according to their diameter ( in inches). Adult female sizes start at 2-4 and can go upto to 2-12; the most common size is 2-6. Adult male sizes can even go upto 3. In US sites the sizing is mentioned a bit differently as  2-4/16″ to 3″. Here  2-4/16th inch is 2 full inches and 4 sections of the 16 sections of an inch. Bangles and bracelet size are not the same. for bracelet we take wrist measurement (6.5″ to 7.5″ is the average adult female size) while for bangles we need knuckle measurement.

How to measure your bangle size at home

There are 2 ways in which you can measure your bangle size

Method 1 – Lay your hand flat (palm facing downwards) on a surface. Mark the starting of the knuckle bone of your pinky finger and end of the knuckle bone of your index finger. Measure this distance, it will be your bangle size. People who have smaller knuckles measure from center of the bone and people who have broad/bulging bones must measure from one end to the other.

Method 2 – Close your hand in such a way that all five fingers of one had meet each other.  Wrap a length of cord or thin paper strip around your knuckle. This is your approximate bangle circumference using which you can find the diameter.

The latest bangle Trends include Silk thread bangles, embroidered/embellished fabric bangles, flower bangles, and big metal kadas with funky prints. There is indeed much more to write on this topic but I am going to end here. If you know of any rituals, faiths or beliefs related to bangles, please add them in the comments. Also do tell me, if you enjoy wearing bangles and what is that you like about them.

In conclusion, regardless of whether the bangle is a Vallaya, choori, a kada or a Kangan (major bangle styles), I feel  they will continue to be worn through ages as specimens of exemplary workmanship and cultural pride.

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PS: The silk bangles can be custom made on order. The other bangles shown in this post are from my personal collection and NOT FOR SALE

I hope you found it interesting
Cheers