PLUR Meaning
PLUR is an acronym that means peace, love, unity, and respect. PLUR is a foundational belief system in rave culture. It’s the idea that everyone in the room is equally deserving of affection, care, and family. PLUR binds everyone at the rave together and is responsible for the “good vibes” you find at any rave. The four basic principles are: Peace. Everyone is at the rave for a good time. Don’t start any fights, have a good attitude, say “please” and “thank you,” and care about your fellow ravers. Love. Spread love! Hug new friends, dance with strangers, and maintain the positive energy radiating through the space. Unity. Ravers love music. You are all bound by this mutual love, so don’t judge anyone who seems different or out of place. If you see someone who looks lonely, go say hi! Respect. Have respect for yourself, your fellow ravers, and the space you’re in. Pick up after yourself, have empathy, and avoid violating the PLUR values.
The PLUR Handshake & Kandi Bracelets
Wear some Kandi bracelets if you want to participate. At raves and shows, the exchanging of Kandi via the PLUR handshake is a bit of a community ritual. You do not have to participate if you don’t want to, although it’s fun to build a collection and trade! Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people and introduce yourself to potential friends. The PLUR handshake is also known as the PLUR kiss, the Kandi kiss, the raver’s shake, and the raver’s kiss. Most raves probably average around 50% when it comes to Kandi/PLUR handshake participation, so feel free to sit it out if you’re still new to the scene. What are Kandi bracelets? Kandi refers to the colorful beaded or woven bracelets ravers typically wear. These are usually handmade and given away (or exchanged via the PLUR handshake) as symbols of friendship.
Reciprocate any offers to PLUR shake if you’re comfortable. Depending on the rave, you may be approached by strangers, acquaintances, or new potential friends to engage in the PLUR handshake. You are not required to participate, but anyone trying to shake with you is offering to exchange Kandi, and the whole point of Kandi is to give it away and trade it with new friends so consider reciprocating! If you aren’t comfortable participating or you don’t understand, that’s okay! Just say so. Nobody offering a PLUR handshake is going to take offense, especially if you let them know you’re an introvert or you’re new to the scene. You’re free to initiate any PLUR handshakes of your own, too!
Connect your peace fingers with the other person. Make a “peace sign” with your index and middle fingers. Face your palm towards the other person and connect the pads of your fingers. Hold your fingers together for a moment. If someone makes a peace sign at you with their palm facing you from a distance, they’re offering to PLUR handshake.
Make a love sign by forming half of a heart. Hold your index and middle fingers together as you transition into the heart. Join your middle, index, ring, and pinkie fingers together and curl them up to form the top half of the heart. Curl your thumb underneath and touch it to the other person’s thumb to form the bottom of the heart. Hold this position for a moment. You’ll often see ravers make the heart logo with close friends (or by themselves) in photos from raves.
Lock fingers with the other person to express unity. Keep your thumbs pressed together but spread your other four fingers out. Interlock your fingers with the other person’s fingers so that the webs of your fingers are touching one another. Hold this position.
Trade Kandi bracelets with your fingers still interlocked. Traditionally, this is where you’d swap Kandi bracelets with the other person. Many ravers like to treat this part kind of like a game where you try to maneuver your wrists in a way where you can grab bracelets without using your free hand, but feel free to just slide a bracelet over to their wrist with your free hand if you prefer.
Pound fists or hug to finish with mutual respect. The “respect” part of the shake is sort of up to you. Most ravers will dap one another up or hug it out. This is also the point where you’d introduce yourself if you haven’t already! PLUR handshakes are the perfect way to meet people and make new friends in the rave scene!
Why PLUR Matters
PLUR turns a simple concert into a magical gathering of community. Raves are not just upbeat EDM dance parties—they’re borderline religious experiences where you get to open up, let your freak flag fly, and dance your heart out amongst like-minded people. This kind of community experience is special—you don’t just cultivate something like this on accident. So, respect the heart of the scene by practicing and protecting the PLUR code. PLUR is also a very old set of ideals that were first developed in the 1990s. At this point, PLUR is a core element of rave culture the same way that fighting authority is core part of the punk scene, or anti-war beliefs are a core part of the hippie subculture.
Where does PLUR come from?
PLUR was invented by DJ Frankie Bones in the early 1990s. According to legend, Frankie Bones was DJing a warehouse rave when a fight broke out. Bones got on the mic and shouted, “If you don't start showing some peace, love, and unity, I'll break your faces!” PLUR developed on the back of that anecdote as raver culture continued to grow. PLUR is closely tied to hip hop community and culture, too. Many of the early ravers and DJs were also graffiti writers, breakdancers, and hip hop fans, so a similar energy persists in hip hop today.
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