‘Jaara’ umbrella: A must-have item in a Rohingya bridal trousseau

Rashida, a young refugee at the Balukhali Rohingya camp near Cox's Bazar, looked different from her fellow trainees at a skill development centre there. The women were wearing burqas with niqabs, but there was something different about Rashida's eyes, the only visible part of her body, that caught our attention. 

It was the unconventional eye make-up and the way she adorned her brows. Apart from the thick kohl lining, there were dust gold coloured dots made around the corners of her eyes; those were Chandan (sandalwood) powder dots.

But there was something else that made her stand apart from every other woman there – a beautiful, sparkly golden umbrella, with sequins and fabric flowers sewn on it. The other women had basic maroon or other dark-coloured umbrellas.

Initially, we assumed Rashida might be richer than the others, to be able to afford such a fancy umbrella. But the giggles and the teasing from the other women informed us that Rashida was newly wed, just over a month ago. Hence the shy yet fierce playfulness in her eyes.    

This unique umbrella is called 'jaara' or sequined (from the word Jori or sequins) and it is a must in every wedding trousseau for a Rohingya bride. 

"Umbrellas are an indispensable component of every Rohingya woman in the camps here,"  said Tuhiratun Nesa, centre in-charge of the skill development centre. "So much so that even when they leave for the bathroom near their residences in the camp, they put on a burqa and carry the umbrella. This is probably the reason the umbrella is a must-have in the trousseau," she added.

The Rohingya women echoed in with her as well. Reshma, another young girl there said, "with other things like baju and thami (the wedding dress which includes a top and a straight skirt, both heavily embroidered or sequined), jewellery, shoes, bags, make-up and cosmetics, the groom must send an umbrella in the trousseau for the bride."  

Taken by Rashida's beautiful wedding umbrella, we wandered from one Rohingya market to another –  from Ukhiya to Bolibazar in Balukhali, to find one. It was pouring that day. We were crisscrossing the muddy and narrow alleys of Bolibazar. And after a few short turns and bumps, we finally came across the umbrella in a cosmetics shop. 

Fyej Karim, the shop owner, showed us three different coloured jaaras – a pastel mint green, a dusty pink one and then at last the golden one, similar to the one Rashida was carrying. The price of the umbrellas, depending on how good you are at bargaining, ranges from Tk1,000 to Tk1,500. 

"Not everyone can afford such pricey umbrellas. There are other basic ones to add to the trousseau which start at Tk550 to Tk600," Fyej informed us. And these are mainly maroon coloured.   

These umbrellas are made in China. First imported to Myanmar, these Chinese umbrellas reach the Bangladeshi Rohingya markets through the borders along with other Burmese products like chutney, sandals, etc. The popular brand for this wedding umbrella is Asahi, a Burmese brand. 

We met Md Hares, a young Rohingya man in the market. He works as a volunteer with one of the NGOs in the Balukhali Rohingya camp. Hares' parents stayed back in Maungdaw while he fled to Bangladesh with his sister and brother-in-law. 

Hares said, "Umbrellas are a symbol of 'Purdah' or hijab for the women in our community. In Myanmar also, I have seen my mother and my sister carrying umbrellas whenever they go out of their home." 

Here in the Rohingya camps, the umbrellas are even more noticeable because the residential units are really close-knit and there is a little barrier or 'Purdah' as they say. That's why the women carry the umbrella to hide or maintain the distance, almost like a veil.

We talked to an artists facilitator at the Rohingya cultural memory centre (RCMC) in Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar. She mentioned the 10 customs of a Rohingya wedding, these includewedding period, engagement, food, decoration, attire, music, transport etc. 

"They even match the wedding dress (baju and thami), the wedding stole, burqa, and niqab with the colour of the umbrella. Like the umbrella, nowadays the burqa has also become a part of the wedding trousseau as the brides are seen wearing a burqa on top of the dress," the facilitator mentioned. Sometimes the brides are seen wearing golden-rimmed sunglasses as well, but that's more of a modern touch, not a ritual.  

According to her, this umbrella is mainly for purdah or hijab. It is also connected with the notion that the girl is well-behaved. "By looking at the umbrella they carry, one can tell if she or anyone in her family is newly married. Generally, a maroon umbrella signifies that the woman has been married a long time ago or she is not married at all," she further added. 

While the women carry these maroon or colourful ones, the men in the community carry black umbrellas. And not just the bride, at a wedding, the groom also gets presents from the bride. These include 'Sherya', a colourful chequered Burmese lungi, Fatua, Tupi or prayer cap and if dowry is in the discussion, then the 'gifts' may include a watch, money, mobile phone or even gold jewellery. 

But everything of course depends on the economic condition of the families. 

Other wedding traditions of the Rohingya community

In the RCMC, the facilitators engage with the Rohingya community people to listen to their stories and memories, how they lived back in their lands in Myanmar, about their food, culture, tradition and rituals. 

As the facilitator mentioned, "Here in the refugee camp, they can be provided with food, shelter, clothes and other basic needs but still they had remarkable mental trauma of losing their identity and cultural heritage being displaced from their land. In the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre, we preserve and promote Rohingya cultural heritage by harnessing their talent, oral histories and cultural memories. RCMC hosts a unique collection of Rohingya cultural heritage through their farming culture, fishing culture, boat models, needle work, garden tradition, food culture and many more contents.

Other customs in a Rohingya wedding include the engagement ceremony, which they refer to as the 'Ful tolatuli'(flower making) ceremony. "Flower is an important notion for this community. For them, flowers are connected to anything good, auspicious or beautiful," she mentioned.  

Paper crafting is a major decoration item for the community and it's an important craft of their wedding culture. The wedding pandal is called 'Man Daing' or wrapping in the Rohingya dialect. 

The community has 29 genres of music and among these, 'Holna' and 'Kawali' belongs to the wedding genre. These are basically a wedding song, sung at the bride's home before the wedding day and then in grooms house too.