COSTUMES OF HARYANA

Contents

·         Introduction

·         Haryanvi Dresses

Introduction

Haryana in the western part of India showcases yet another facet of Indian culture and civilization. The people of Haryana, also known as Haryanvis, are simple and enterprising. There are numerous castes or jatis in Haryana, such as Ahirs, Jats, Rajputs, Brahmins and other allied agricultural communities. The Haryanvis are very fond of folklore, music and their cattle. People of the state have very simple food and dress habits. It is essentially a convergence of diverse races and is an apt combination of both antiquity and plenty.

Haryanvi Dresses

The major features of the Haryanvi dresses are as follows:

o   The dresses of the Haryanvis are usually very simple i.e. a dhoti, a shirt, a turban and a pair of shoes. Additionally a Chaddar, a type of blanket, serves as a wrapper.

o   Different communities such as Ahir, Jat, Brahman, Bania and Rajput, have different styles of preparing the turban.

o   A woman’s dress is much more vivid and colorful than a male attire. A Jat woman’s attire essentially consists of a full dress or Thel, Ghaggri and printed Orhni.

o   An Ahir woman’s dress consists of a Lehenga or Petticoat, Angia or a tight blouse and an Orhni.

o   A Rajput woman’s dress is much similar to that of the Ahir community, except that there are some color variations.

o   The dresses of women are different for different activities such as, for working at the grindstone, for fetching water, for working in the agricultural fields, etc.

o   The color of dress of different communities is also unique to them. A Gujjar may therefore be differentiated from an Ahir woman, by the color of the dress.

o   In the Hindu marriage parties Dupatta, Kamiz, Salwar and Ghagra are usually worn by the women. Men wear colored turbans.

o   Ornaments made of gold and silver are usually worn by men and women. Necklaces, bracelets, gold chains are usually worn on special occasions such as marriages etc. Some of the most popular regional ornaments are Haar (necklace), Hansli (heavy bangles), Jhalra (string of gold mohars and silver rupees), Kari (anklet), ChailkaraNeori, Nath (nose rings), Churis (small bangles) etc.