Why is bhangra celebrated

The traditional and more popular manner was to meet in groups and dance in a circular formation. Transitioning into the early s, it became more popular for groups and teams to form. They would be asked to perform at special occasions, where festivals and events were held. At first, male teams would popularly form and be asked by kings, politicians, and other famous people to dance at their receptions.

Soon, females would join together and create their own official teams as well. They grew in popularity too, and they brought a different style of bhangra to the stage, giddha. Giddha had already existed but was often practiced in local settings. The style was performed by ladies only.

It presented the same high level of energy as bhangra, but it also incorporated elements of elegance and flexibility. The dance would continue to develop and expand across the country and the world.

The chadr is the bottom half of the outfit, and consists of a long, rectangular piece of unstitched cloth tied around the dancer's waist. It covers the majority of the dancer's legs and is strategically tied so as to prevent the cloth from restricting the dancer's movement. The female complement to the chadr is the salwar. The salwar consists of loose fitting trouser pants with numerous pleats stitched into the fabric. In contrast to the chadr, the salwar covers the dancer's leg completely.

The trousers are stitched so that when the dancer performs high-knee and leg-lifting steps, the pleats artfully hang to mimic the effect and coverage of the chadr. The kurta is common to both types of vardiyaan. The kurta is a long-sleeved tunic that comes down to approximately the dancer's knees, or just above them. The sleeveless vest is worn over the kurta. Both the kurta and chadr are colorful, and display heavily embroidered intricate designs.

The pagh and chunni are head coverings that reflect the Sikh religion that is predominant in the state of Punjab. Culturally, head coverings are common as well. They are a symbol of pride, humility, fortitude, and respect. The Bhangra pagh is a long piece of cloth that is intricately wrapped around the dancer's head, culminating in a heavily, starched, pleated fan turla that crowns the whole turban. The chunni is a colorful scarf that is artfully draped around a woman's head and pinned to her kurta and vest.

There are many other aspects to the vardiyaan as well. Not limited to just jewelry, these consist of various accent pieces that serve to enhance specific elements of a Bhangra routine. For example, earrings and necklaces i. Rumaalan, or handkerchiefs, were traditionally tied around a dancer's wrist to highlight their complex hand movements.

All parts of the vardiyaan complement the dance in that each element has origins steeped in meaning, symbolism, and purpose. Perhaps the most famous Bhangra instrument is the dhol. It is a double-sided barrel drum that creates the beat to which Bhangra is danced to.

The person who plays the instrument, the dholi, plays various beats to create the different Bhangra segments, such as Dhamaal, Jhummar, One side of the dhol has thicker skin, which creates a deeper sound, and the other side has a thinner skin, resulting in a higher-pitched sound. Two sticks are used to play the dhol instrument. The thicker stick, called the dagga, is used to play the bass side. The thinner tilli is used to play the treble side.

Both sticks are usually made of wood or bamboo. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae.

As Bhangra continues to move into mainstream culture, an understanding of its history and tradition helps to appreciate it. Translated, the name "Punjab" means the "Land of Five Rivers. The three main religions in the area are Sikhism, Hinduism, and Islam. The region has been invaded and ruled by many different empires and races, including the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Muslims, and Mongols. Around the time of the 15th Century, Guru Nanak Dev founded the Sikh religion, which quickly came to prominence in the region.

The 19th Century saw the beginning of British rule, which led to the emergence of several heroic freedom fighters, the subject of many Bhangra songs. Finally, the Punjab was split between Pakistan and India at the end of British rule in This partitioning resulted in a large migration of Punjabis into the United Kingdom, which eventually led to the emergence of Bhangra in Western clubs and dancehalls.

Punjab in the 21st Century The years after partition tested the traditional Punjabi tenacity and toughness. Rapid achievements in agriculture and industry and in the field of education, services, social welfare, and rural uplift helped the Punjab become one of the most prosperous regions in Southeast Asia. Punjab has attained an equally eminent place in the world of both performing and visual arts and in literature.

The revival of folk art, song, dance, and drama, the rehabilitation of the ancient classics of poetry, and the rediscovery of the Sikh schools of painting have created a sense of pride and climate of involvement in the heritage of the Punjab.

The Bhangra Although Bhangra has possibly existed since as long ago as BC, over the past forty years it has experienced new highs in popularity and innovation. The term "Bhangra" has gradually evolved and now refers to many different sub-classes of dance and music for many occasions.

The Origin of Bhangra While Bhangra historians speculate the dance may have originated in the time of the wars with Alexander, no one is sure it existed until about five hundred years ago. Around the 14th or 15th Century, Punjabi wheat farmers danced and sang songs about village life to help pass the time while working in the fields. With time, these became part of harvest celebrations at Bhaisakhi April 13 festivals, as the sight of their crops growing invigorated the farmers.

From here the dance quickly moved through all divisions of class and education, eventually becoming a part of weddings, New Year parties, and other important occasions. The Many Sub-Dances of Bhangra Bhangra has developed as a combination of dances from different parts of the Punjab region. Jhumar, originally from Sandalbar, Punjab, comprises an important part of Punjab folk heritage. It is a graceful dance, based on a specific Jhumar rhythm.

Dancers circle around a drum player while singing a soft chorus. A person performing the Luddi dance places one hand behind his head and the other in front of his face, while swaying his head and arms. He typically wears a plain loose shirt and sways in a snake-like manner. Like a Jhumar dancer, the Luddi dancer moves around a dhol player. Women have a different but equally exuberant dance called Giddha.

The dancers enact verses called bolis, representing a wide variety of subjects - everything from arguments with a sister-in-law to political affairs. The rhythm of the dance depends not only the drums, but also on the handclaps of the dancers. Julli is a dance associated with Muslim holy men called pirs and is generally performed in their hermitages.

Typically the dancers dress all in black, and perform Julli in a sitting posture, but it is sometimes also done around the grave of a preceptor. Julli is unique in that one person, alone, can perform the dance if he so desires. Daankara is a dance of celebration, typically performed at weddings. Two men, each holding colorful staves, dance around each other in a circle while tapping their sticks together in rhythm with the drums.

Dancers also form a circle while performing Dhamal. They also hold their arms high, shake their shoulders and heads, and yell and scream.

Dhamal is a true folk-dance, representing the heart of Bhangra. Women of the Sandalbar region traditionally are known for the Saami. The dancers dress in brightly colored kurtas and full flowing skirts called lehengas. Like Daankara, Kikli features pairs of dancers, this time women. Occasionally four girls join hands to perform this dance. Gatka is a Sikh martial art in which people use swords, sticks, or daggers. It was for the most part performed while the farmers did the agricultural tasks.

They would do the Bhangra on the spot as they carried out each task and did their farming activity so that, they could finish their jobs and chores in a pleasurable and fun way. Once they harvested their wheat crops, they used to attend cultural festivals and perform Bhangra to demonstrate and exhibit a sense of accomplishment and also to welcome the new harvesting season. The dance form represents the liveliness and the enthusiasm of the people and it involves both men and women, dancing to the fast and rapid beats of the drum and music.

Although the origins of the traditional folk dance form, Bhangra are tentative and uncertain, it is said to have originated in the 14th or 15th century by the Punjabi farmers to celebrate the harvesting season. However, the folk dance of Majha originated in Sialkot, Pakistan.

The historical records around the late s show the first mentions of Bhangra as a dance. The present style of the Bhangra dance form formed in the s and it has been evolving since then. Bhangra uses an instrument Dhol which gives large beats and rhythm. Short sets of lyrics describe scenes or stories from Punjab through boliyan. These lyrics generally are based on the themes of love, strength, patriotism, and celebration.

Bhangra started to gain popularity worldwide in the mid 20th century and it emerged as a regular element of celebrations like weddings, functions, birthday parties, local events, etc. The folk dance spread beyond Punjab and is now performed mostly on all the celebrations and is also included in popular music and DJs, competitions, school dance programs, and even exercise.

In , the Maharaja of Patiala requested a stage performance of Bhangra and he patronized it. This is how, the s saw the growth of the free form of traditional Bhangra in Punjab, India. A dance troupe led by brothers from the Deepak family of Sunam, Punjab Manohar, Avtar and Gurbachan and Bhana Ram Sunami, the dhol player, were the first significant developers and introducers of this style. The stage performances which featured traditional Bhangra moves as well as other Punjabi dance forms like Luddi, Jhummar, Dhamaal, and Gham Luddi, developed the free form of traditional Bhangra.

There are many Bhangra competitions help all over India, especially in Punjab for several decades. This dance form symbolizes the imagination, potential, talent, and charisma of the people performing it.

Bhangra has been established all over the world and is performed by both men and women.