Kandi bracelet

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Two people wearing kandi bracelets on both of their arms Kandi for rave.jpg
Two people wearing kandi bracelets on both of their arms

A kandi bracelet is a type of bracelet usually made out of pony beads, and is a popular type of attire in scene or rave culture, particularly kandi culture, an American phenomenon deeply rooted in US rave culture. Kandi bracelets are traditionally handcrafted, and some view store-bought kandi bracelets as diminishing their meaning of 'unity'. [1] They are frequently made with rainbow or lettered beads. [2]

Contents

"Kandi kids" is a term for those in the kandi trading subculture. [3] [4]

Kandi however is not just limited to bracelets. Some popular variants include Lizards, Stars, Necklaces made with perler bead charms, and belts.

History

The term 'kandi' may come from the phrase 'candy necklace'; when pronounced out loud, kandi and candy sound the same. [5] They started appearing in the early 1990s South California Rave scene. [6]

Kandi bracelets may have evolved out of friendship bracelets; [7] friendship bracelets are often handmade and exchanged to commemorate a friendship, like kandi bracelets. [1]

This same style of bracelets, but under the more general name of "Friendship bracelets" have been traded at Taylor Swift shows in the 2020s. [6] This brought the popularity of these bracelets to a wider audience of younger fans.

PLUR and trading

The PLUR handshake is done when exchanging kandi bracelets, with each element of the acronym represented by a step. [8] [9] [10] Kandi bracelets kept on the right arm are available to trade, while those on the left arm are not. [11] [8] Sometimes, the words are said as the gestures are done: [12]

Often, the PLUR handshake is followed by a hug. [13]

Terminology

Kandi bracelets have kandi-specific terms to describe them. [3] Stitch is an umbrella term regarding the specific types of kandi; the three most common stitches are multistitch (even tubular peyote stitch), flat peyote stitch (even and odd), and x base. [3] Cuffs are any form of kandi bracelet that uses multiple rows of beads. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Small, Liz. "5 Things You Didn't Know About Kandi Bracelets". Relentless Beats. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ Buncsi, Carine (December 2014). "Why Kandi Keeps the Spirit of Rave Alive in the Us". Mixmag: 26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bevacqua, Joel (March 3, 2017). "Inside the World of the Kandi Kids, Dance Music's Most Colorful Subculture". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Pradeep, Malavika (July 1, 2021). "Introducing Kandi kids, a wholesome subculture birthed out of the American rave scene". Screenshot Media (in Russian). Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ Rinehart, JD (April 25, 2022). "What is Kandi? How do You Trade Them at Raves?" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Unweaving the history of friendship bracelets". Culture. May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ Beehler, Kiah (October 4, 2019). "Exploring the role of kandi in our scene today (Opinion)". Dance Music NW. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  8. 1 2 iHeartRaves. "How to Trade Kandi at a Rave". iHeartRaves. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ kkussman (May 17, 2020). "PLUR Handshake and the Exchanging of Kandi – Rave Culture | USC Digital Folklore Archives" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Culture Behind Kandi | Kevin Taylor". sites.psu.edu. Retrieved February 8, 2023.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Tessene, Jessica (March 25, 2018). "Kandi Etiquette: The Guide to Trading for First Timers". EDM Identity. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ T, Nate (April 25, 2022). "What is Kandi? How do You Trade Them at Raves?" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ Packs, Lunchbox. "What is PLUR?". Lunchbox Packs. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
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