Jammu and Kashmir is located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.
Jammu and Kashmir is known for its climate and beautiful nature. It is known as “The
Heaven on the Earth”.
Now, here are a few points on the harvest festival and clothing style of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Like other states of India, Jammu and Kashmir also celebrate the harvest
festival. The Ladakh festival is the harvesting season of Jammu and Kashmir. It is
held for a duration of 15 days in September. It is one of the festivals that witnesses several cultural troupes and programs which are a great thing to watch. It spreads out through
various streets of Leh and the traditional music is heard everywhere.
The Lohri festival, celebrated on 13th January every year, marks the end of peak
winter and celebrates the harvest of crops. It is a festival that celebrates the harvest of
sugarcane crops in January. People light up a bonfire, sing songs, dance and eat winter delicacies made of corn, peanuts, sesame and jaggery.
Costumes of Jammu and Kashmir are well known for their embroidery and
intricate designs, which reflects the richness of the culture and landscape of the
region. The form of clothing is designed to counter the cold climate of the region. The
extreme variants of climate in Jammu and Kashmir are due to its location and
topography. Every thousand feet of elevation brings some new phase of climate. So,
most of the garments are made of wool, silk designed with intricate embroideries and
cotton. The traditional Poots & Pheran is the most popular kind of dress among both
men and women, with Mughal type turbans, headgears, Taranga belt of Pashmina
and colored scarfs.
Costumes of Kashmiri Women
The Pheran is the prominent attire for Kashmiri women but it differs between Hindu
and Muslim women. The headdress of a Kashmiri Hindu woman is a brightly colored
scarf or Taranga and a Muslim woman wears a head gear in red colour called as
Kasaba and Abaya . Earrings, anklets and bangles are widely used apart from the
ornamentation in the clothing. Dejharoos or golden pendants are worn by the
women as a symbol of married status among the Kashmiri Pandits, while the Muslim
women use trinket pendants. Muslim women weae silver pins to tie the headgear tightly. They are quite fond of wearing a bunch of earrings. Silver jewelry is popular among the
Muslim women and they adorn themselves with neckpieces, bracelets and heavily
jeweled chains.
Costumes of Kashmiri Men
The typical dress of Kashmiri men, both Hindu and Muslim is the Pheran. It is a long loose
gown hanging down below the knees. The men wear a skullcap, a close-fitting
salwar or churidar pyjama. The Pheran is a loosely fitted woollen garment which
makes use of the Kangri. The Kangri is an earthen vessel which is filled with flaming
coal. The Pathani Suit, also referred to as Khan-dress, is popular among the Muslim
men, especially in Srinagar. Turbans are common among Muslim men. Fur skull
caps with the Pashmina shawls worn by men often symbolize royal lineage. The
Muslim men wear lace-free shoes known as Gurgabis.The turban worn by Kashmiri
Pandit males, is not much different from the turban the Muslims wear except that the
Pandits do not wear any skull cap inside.
People of Jammu Kashmir, according to their place of living, follow different styles
of clothing like
Gujjars - The people who live in the hilly region of Kashmir.
Dogras - Located in Kashmir state’s mountain valley, on the southern side which is
extended till the Punjab’s plains.
Kashmiri Pashmina is the best in the world- Pashmina is produced by many
countries in the world. Artisans in the valley have been using handlooms right from
the beginning of Pashmina weaving, which goes back centuries. It also depends
upon the count of the fabric and the number of yarn threads that are used to make the
shawl. More the number, the softer the fabric.
-Shashank.V
Grade-3 Senior
