Other lands
The sari in the Indo-Caribbean
The sari and head cloth of the Indian-descended communities of Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname, worn for weddings, prayers and festivals.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for wearers, makers and the curious.
In Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, people of Indian descent keep the sari for weddings, religious days and festivals, alongside the orhni, a head cloth. The customs came with indentured labourers in the nineteenth century and have developed locally since.
Wrapped step by step
Each drawing shows the cloth so far, with the newest step outlined in gold. The figure is a front view; the wearer's left is on your right.
Step 1 Tuck the plain end into the petticoat at the right hip. Step 2 Wrap the cloth once round the waist. Step 3 Form pleats at the front. Step 4 Tuck the pleats at the navel. Step 5 Carry the pallu across the chest and over the left shoulder. Step 6 For prayer or the wedding rite, draw the end or an orhni over the head. Step 7 Let the rest hang behind. Finished The sari in the Indo-Caribbean, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
Indian labourers were brought to the Caribbean after the end of slavery in the nineteenth century to work on plantations, and their descendants form large communities today, called Indo-Caribbean people. Over time, they preserved parts of village dress from northern India, and later added influence from films and from India itself. The sari is part of that heritage, and the festival calendar of Phagwah and Diwali keeps it in use. Weddings in these communities keep many older customs of the north Indian villages, and women pass on songs and dress.
How it looks
Women wear the Nivi drape in silk or synthetic cloth, with a blouse. The orhni, a long head cloth, is worn by brides and by women during religious rites, covering the head. At weddings in these communities, saris and lehengas are both worn, with gold jewellery, in red, pink and orange. Phagwah, the spring festival of colours, is usually celebrated in old clothes, since colour powder is thrown. The head cloth is worn loosely, and the sari colour is often red or yellow at weddings, which are auspicious colours in the Hindu tradition. Cotton is common for daytime events in the heat.
Who wears it and when
Women wear it for Hindu weddings and the several ceremonies before them, for pujas and for Diwali. Everyday dress is mostly Western style. Customs differ among Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname, and between families, so the account here is general. The sari is also worn at community events and in the diaspora abroad. Hindu temples and community halls hold the main gatherings, and many diaspora families in Canada, the United States and Britain keep the same festivals. Children may wear small versions of the dress for Diwali programmes. This guide gives the general form, and a maker, dresser or family may do it a little differently.
Sarees worn this way
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryPallu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The drawings are simplified diagrams of the order of wrapping, not a lesson: how a drape is worn differs from family to family. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sari: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Banarasi sari: Ekabhishek, CC BY-SA 3.0, source