PLUR: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect

by: Tej

When I approached the raving scene in the late summer of 2017, I had no idea what “PLUR” meant until I had finally gone to my first rave and my friend prepared me for this so called pluring.

Before the festival I would spend time with my friend and make these bracelets that he called “kandi” that were used to trade with people at shows.

I had no idea what significance it had until I started pluring myself.

I realized how wonderful it was to simply bond with someone by simply trading bracelets.

And since my first rave, Dancefestopia, I have been making kandi bracelets for every festival and every show I go to.

I know everyone trades a little differently but for those who don’t know, this simple trade off starts with two people and they make peace signs together with their right hands and connects the peace sign for ‘peace’ then each person makes a half heart to resemble love.

Then the two people would touch palm for unity and then intertwin their fingers to connect for respect and then trade a kandi bracelet with the other person and usually ends it with a hug and possibly with a new friendship.

I was taught that the kandi bracelets you want to keep go on your left arm and the ones you want to trade away go on your right arm.

The way I figure out who I want to trade with can be spontaneous or I just like their vibe and think their demeanor is friendly.

Since this tradition has died off with the newer generation, I usually trade with people that are wearing kandi.

For those that do not know what it is, I usually explain it to them and ask, “Hey, I want to give you something because I think you’re cool!”.

It is a wonderful thing to experience when the other person has no idea what I’m talking about or what I’m doing because after the kandi exchange their face will light up in realization that they’ve been introduced to an old raving tradition and that they are loved and respected.

At raves we are all one and we should always spread peace, love, unity, and respect with each other.

This is one of the reasons why I had continued to go to music festivals and raves because I think this tradition is a wonderful and very meaningful one.

Since I joined the rave scene, I have met a few people that make cuffs out of kandi and purlers that are made into kandi necklaces.

I have a good friend who makes a lot of kandi, his goal is to go to a festival with
both arms full of kandi and come back with none because he loves showing people that he has peace, he loves you, he respects you and wants to be united as one with you and with everyone else he sees at a music festival.

About the author: Tej