Bengali tradition Sakha Pola

Just like the tradition of wearing the ‘Chooda’ amongst Punjabis’, Bengali brides are bound by the age-old custom of donning their hands with a pair of red and white bangles, known as the ‘Shakha Pola’. However similar the two may be, the former is worn in a count of 21. The bride is supposed to wear these 21 plastic or ivory based ornaments for a period of 15month or 40 days which is believed to secure and strengthen her marital bond with her husband.
The cultural variant to the ‘Chooda’, is the Bengali ‘Shakha pola’. One being an intricately carved out white bangle made of conch shell and the other, a bright red bangle made of coral. Both hold the same symbolism as the ‘Chooda’, yet to be worn together with a ‘loha’ or iron-based bangle. There is peculiar folklore attached to wearing these bangles. It is said that they distinguish her from her father’s clan or kula , the very moment she dons them on the day of her marriage. After which she is part of her husband’s clan for the rest of her life. The ‘Shakha Pola’ is also known as the ivory of the poor and was historically carved out by fisherman’s wives from the shells they received from their husbands as gifts. The ‘Shakha Pola’ ceremony or ‘Dodhi Mangal’ is one of the crucial rituals of a Bengali marriage in which 7 married women bless the bride by donning her hands with these auspicious bangles. Thus symbolizing the blessings of 7 goddesses upon her happy married life.
However significant these bangles maybe for a Bengali bride, today she would rather live without them as much as she would live without, the ‘Sindoor’ or even the ‘Mangalsutra’. Such accessories, tend to overpower her womanly existence in the garb of being the building blocks of her marriage. She does not want to be objectified or bogged down by the cultural components associated with marriage. Thus really proving how ornaments have become a mere form of accessory for the modern Bengali and Indian bride, then being a significant part of her cultural existence.
Bengali bride wearing the ‘Shakha Pola’ during the ‘Dodhi Mangal’
The cultural variant to the ‘Chooda’ , is the Bengali ‘Shakha pola’. One being an intricately carved out white bangle made of conch shell and the other, a bright red bangle made of coral. Both hold the same symbolism as the ‘Chooda’, yet to be worn together with a ‘loha’ or iron-based bangle. There is a peculiar folklore attached to wearing these bangles. It is said that they distinguish her from her father’s clan or kula , the very moment she dons them on the day of her marriage. After which she is part of her husband’s clan for the rest of her life. The ‘Shakha Pola’ is also known as the ivory of the poor and was historically carved out by fisherman’s wives from the shells they received from their husbands as gifts. The ‘Shakha Pola’ ceremony or ‘Dodhi Mangal’ is one of the crucial rituals of a Bengali marriage in which 7 married women bless the bride by donning her hands with these auspicious bangles. Thus symbolizing the blessings of 7 goddesses upon her happy married life.
However significant these bangles maybe for a Bengali bride, today she would rather live without them as much as she would live without, the ‘Sindoor’ or even the ‘Mangalsutra’. Such accessories, tend to overpower her womanly existence in the garb of being the building blocks of her marriage. She does not want to be objectified or bogged down by the cultural components associated with marriage. Thus really proving how ornaments have become a mere form of accessory for the modern Bengali and Indian bride, then being a significant part of her cultural existence.