Indian wedding glossary · The functions
What is Kalire?
Also written: Kaleere, ਕਲੀਰੇ
Kalire are the gold and silver umbrella-shaped ornaments that the sisters and friends of a Punjabi bride tie to her chooda on the wedding morning.
- Who keeps it
- Punjabi Hindu and Sikh families.
- When
- Tied on the wedding morning after the chooda; shaken after the anand karaj or pheras.
About Kalire
What should you know about Kalire?
After the wedding, the bride shakes her kalire over the heads of her unmarried friends and cousins. Many families say that the one a kalira falls on will be the next to marry.
Kalire range from small traditional pieces to large decorated sets, and are often chosen to match the bride's lehenga.
In the order of functions
Where does Kalire come in an Indian wedding?
Tied on the wedding morning after the chooda; shaken after the anand karaj or pheras.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Kalire?
Families rarely print it; sisters often add: Bring your best wishes, the kalire game is after the pheras!
Related words
Words that go with Kalire
- Chooda
Chooda is the set of red and ivory-white bangles a Punjabi bride wears from her wedding day, given by her maternal uncle at the chooda ceremony on the wedding morning.
- Jaggo
Jaggo is a Punjabi night celebration where relatives carry a decorated brass pot of lit lamps on their heads and dance through the neighbourhood, singing to announce the wedding.
- Anand karaj
Anand karaj, meaning blissful union, is the Sikh wedding ceremony, held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, in which the couple walk around it four times as the four laavan are sung.
- Mehndi
Mehndi is the ceremony where henna is applied to the bride's hands and feet in detailed patterns, while the women of the family sing, dance and celebrate around her.
- Vidaai
Vidaai is the farewell of the bride from her parents' home after the wedding, when she leaves with the groom for her new home.
Questions
Kalire, answered
What is Kalire?
Kalire are the gold and silver umbrella-shaped ornaments that the sisters and friends of a Punjabi bride tie to her chooda on the wedding morning.
Which families celebrate Kalire?
Punjabi Hindu and Sikh families.
When does Kalire happen in the order of wedding functions?
Tied on the wedding morning after the chooda; shaken after the anand karaj or pheras.
What do families write on the invitation for Kalire?
Families rarely print it; sisters often add: Bring your best wishes, the kalire game is after the pheras!
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