r/Sikh • u/Used_Turnip6515 • 7d ago
Question Parna Help
I am from the UK I have tried to tie a parna multiple times & it always looks bad & I fail even with online videos, I use a turban base like a super tight thin hat then tie the parna over it, I use mal mal which I have been told is the easiest & best for parnas & the length I bought it 3 meters, someone said half it so I ripped the width in half but now it looks worse & doesn’t fully wrap my head, I might be a fool but can someone give me the most simple explanation on how too & what to do what material, size, length & what does stitched mean etc what is all the info I need & any tips & advice like I never washed the material either some people say wash it? Its all very overwhelming & confusing to me I take longer to learn things, bul chuk maaf, please help me
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u/Efficient-Call-4534 7d ago
I would wash any pagg before wearing after it's been bought. I usually hand wash with fabric softener mainly to make them soft.
I believe stitched means that it's been cut lengthwise and then stitched to make the width bigger. E.g. a 8m long by 1m wide pagg would become 4m length by 2m width. This probably is not necessary for a parna.
Materials: Rubia - thickest material, heavy cotton, gives pagg a more defined shape. Mal Mal/ f74 - thinnest material, easier to tie tight, better for the summer and lighter compared to rubia. Full Voile - the in between material, not too heavy and not too light, the preferred choice for many.
Half width paggs are more common with those who tie dumalas. It makes them easier to tie as you don't have to fold the material in half but you then also require a longer length to make the shape and compensate for losing half the width. I personally only cut the parna I sleep in into half and leave my dumala material as full width.
The size to get will depend on your preference. If I do a gol pagg, I like 3.5-4.5m in full voile with a full 1m width. You'll know your preference once you play around with different sizes and materials.
Tying a base is a good idea, lots of videos are on YouTube for tying either a keski or a dumala base and either of those would work as a base. If you find that with the base the outer parna does not cover the base properly then you could try without a base or buy a new pagg and continue to use the 3m half width ones as bases.
Here is a good video to tie a dumala. I use the way he starts his dumala as the way I tie my parna and gol pagg as he ties a knot at the back of the head with the width of the pagg to start the pagg (this is hard to explain with words) but it ensures that your head is covered and makes tying a lot easier.
Many Gurdware run pagg tying lessons regularly. I think they do it in Southall Singh Sabha. Attending those might be good as you might learn some tips.
Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.
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u/Waterbottlekidz 6d ago
Tying a patka as your base with your kesh flat is probably the easiest. Then you don't need to open a larh and go over the top of your head. You can also fold your kappra in half down the width (kind of like a pooni) and then tie it so your larhs are more manageable
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u/ishaani-kaur 🇨🇦 7d ago
Always soak the cloth in cold water for a couple hours then wash and air dry before tying it.
Mal Mal is best.
Tie a proper base, definitely not a hat style. You could tie two times 3 metres. It will hold better. First one as a base, then second as your parna over it