A bride in any culture, region or religion is seen donned in beautiful traditional attires and with several jewellery items. All weddings include some form of jewellery such as a wedding ring, bangles, a chain or a nose pin. And, Nepali wedding is no exception.
Weddings are usually grand affairs in Nepal that reflect culture and tradition. And, everyone looks up to the bride and groom on the wedding day. Mainly bride, the attire she is wearing, and the jewellery she has become the talk of the town in Nepali wedding seasons.
Here is the list of some jewellery essentials that one can not miss at a typical Nepali wedding:
1. Chhadke tilahari/tilhari
Chhadke tilahari/tilhari is must-have jewellery for Nepali weddings. It is a long necklace worn around the neck that reaches below the waist of the woman. It consists of multiple strings of green pote (glass beads) with a traditional gold pendant.
On the wedding day, the groom put this tilhari around his bride like a garland. It is worn as a garland only on the wedding day. After that, married women wear it diagonally hung from the right shoulder. Chhadke tilhari is an identity of married women in Nepal.
2. Pahelo pote
Pahelo pote, also known as laganko pote, is a long necklace usually reaching the heart chakra that lies in the centre of the spine near the heart. A traditional Nepali wedding cannot be performed without this. The groom puts this around the bride’s neck after the kanyadaan ritual while the priest recites mantras. This pote consists of more than one string of yellow beads.
3. Gold bangles
Gold bangles are usually brought by the groom’s family for the bride at a Nepali wedding. Although gold bangles are not the must-have ornaments, they are on-trend nowadays. Gold bangles are paired with red glass bangles and worn on both hands by the bride.
4. Sirbandi
Sirbandi or maangtika is worn on the forehead by brides and also women of all ages. It has a gold chain with a hook on one end tied on the hair and a pendant on the other end that remains on the forehead.
5. Necklace
A necklace is a choker worn by Nepali brides. It is usually made of gold and has customary designs. Accordingly, a necklace comes in a variety of designs and sizes. It was not the one can not miss at a Nepali wedding, but it has become the one lately.
6. Mangalsutra
Mangalsutra is a traditional Indian black-beaded chain with a thin wire of gold. Mangalsutra is such a piece of jewellery that symbolises marriage. Adopting from Indian culture, it has been used at many Nepali weddings for the past few decades.
7. Rani haar
Rani haar (literally, the queen’s necklace) is often used at Nepali weddings of late. It is usually elongated and heavier than the general necklace. The designs may vary, but usually, it has a long-thick gold chain with a big pendant.
8. Naugedi
Naugedi is an ethnic necklace in Nepali culture. This piece of jewellery includes highly decorative nine gold beads and glass beads. Naugedi is given to the bride by the groom as a symbol of wedlock.
9. Earrings
Traditional Nepali earrings, known as pinjada or Marwari hoop, is a must-have ornament at Nepali weddings. Pinjada is basically a conical or bell-shaped gold earring. And, the Marwari hoop is a round ring, whose outer layer is covered with the design of creatures like dragons or lions. Both pinjada and Marwari hoop come in different sizes and designs.
10. Nose pin
Nose pin (phuli) is worn particularly by Brahmin and Chhetri women on the left side of their nose. At their wedding, a nose pin is a must-have. After the kanyadaan ritual, the bride needs to put on the nose pin brought by the groom and take off the nose pin she is wearing. The design of the nose pin keeps on evolving like other jewellery items.
11. Ring
Ring is probably the universal ornament used in weddings from around the world. And, Nepali weddings are no exception. The bride and the groom exchange the rings at the Nepali weddings as well as a part of the Swayambar ritual. The most common ring used for brides in weddings is the Asarfi coin ring.
