Punjabi paranda

This article is about a decoration for a braid tassel. For other uses, see Paranda (disambiguation).

A Punjabi paranda, also known as a parandi, is a women's hair ornament made of multicolored silk threads and decorated with floral (bunches) designs and ornamental tassels. The Paranda is a part of traditional ethnic Punjabi clothing and a folk accessory of Punjabi culture. Patiala is famous for its salwars and parandas ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Punjabi girl wearing Paranda in her hair

Material

Parandas are made by interweaving silk threads of different contrast colors.^[5][1] The practice of making parandas was started by women in Punjab, who began making them as a hobby, art, and craft.^[6][7]

Style

The paranda is braided into the hair, with ornate tassels usually hanging from the end of the braid. It is often made to match the clothing of the wearer, and is worn commonly during performances of folk dances such as the Giddha. Young girls and women may adorn themselves with it on special occasions like marriages and folk festivals such as Lohri, Vaisakhi, Teej, etc.^[1][4][8][9] However, the paranda is worn less frequently in modern day.^[10]

See also

• Jutti
• Phulkari

Gallery

• 
  Folk dancers from Punjab performing at six-day Folk Dance Festival ‘Lok Tarang, in New Delhi on January 19, 2007
• 
  Diagram of a tassel
• 
  Making a tassel from yarn
• 
  Illustration of various tassels, from A Handbook of Ornament, by Franz Sales Meyer
• 
  Tassels of a bed from Paris, circa 1782–1783, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
• 
  Punjabi girl wearing a Paranda with tassels