Rajasthani turbans also known as pagdi or safas is an essential part of the special occasions such as weddings in India. They are made of a single colorful strip of cloth is usually worn by men in the north Indian weddings. The length of Wedding Safa ranges from 5 to 8 meters, depending on the style of bonding. Worn as a tradition on the I ndian weddings, form the most important accessories for the groom on the wedding day.
Rajasthani Wedding Safa
There are thousands of styles of binding a SAFA and the style varies depending on the region where the family comes from. Back in time, the color, shape and size of saafa used to reflect the social status of the person. In Rajasthan, style tie the turban changes every 12 miles; also colors change according to the season and the occasion.
Like for example in the spring you will see white and red falguniya safa while the broken chunri pattern signify an auspicious occasion such as the birth of a child. The panchranga safa, which consists of five colors are worn at weddings, while the pink, red and green colored ones usually worn for festivals. The lahariya turbans on the other hand, is worn during the rainy season. Darker and duller colors like dark blue or red are worn on the grim events.
How to Tie Rajasthani Safa
Although this tradition comes from Rajasthan, now days any Indian wedding would be considered incomplete without this. The trend is catching up and the overall activity of safa tie adds a fun element to the wedding Baraat. Although every color and pattern had a meaning associated with it in the past, do couples do not believe in it anymore. The colors of the safas for the guests are selected with regard to the theme and color scheme of the device. Moreover, a different color is selected for each page, so just by looking SAFA you can see if a particular guest representing the bride’s side or groom’s side.
SAFA binding activity takes place just before Baraat procession begins. Grooms relatives and friends get their safas tied to the place where Baraat would start, while usually the bride’s side guests and family members get their bound at the venue, so they are ready to receive the Baraat when they enter the venue.
The Jodhpuri style tie SAFA is very popular on Indian weddings. A professional safa tie artist would take less than a minute to put on this complicated head gear for your guest!