Dance is the expression of joy and what better time to do so than festivals? Punjabis have a rich heritage when it comes to dancing. Their sense of merriment is rightly portrayed through Bhangra and Gidha. The rich adornments and awesome dhol beats show how fun-loving they are. Baisakhi is such a festival for them.
Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is said to be the very first day of the Vaisakha month. It marks the beginning of the solar new year. However, Vaisakhi observed on the 13th or 14th of April is prevalent throughout the Indian sub-continent. People from Punjab, Jammu, Haryana, even Nepal celebrate this auspicious day in their own way.
Baisakhi is that time of the year where Punjabis celebrate the harvest season. Carrying dhols on a strap around their necks they revel in dance and song. It is said that all the neighboring villages forget their differences and join in with festivities.
Bhangra thus has steps that are merely sowing, winnowing, and gathering crops. However, the zest is added through the dhol beats. Dancers in turn recite their bolis or verses by going round in circles.
Bhangra is invariably connected with fertility rituals and the harvest season. But, nowadays they are being performed in marriages on birthdays and every other occasion. A whole fitness regime called MasalaBhangra has been created out of it. Hey, also it is super-easy for you to dance away at the beats of Bhangra cause StepOut has a number of excellent Bhangra trainers. Also, don’t worry if you are a trainer yourself, create your profile on the go and explore tons of features of the StepOut’s SaaS tool.
Gidha is another popular folk dance form practiced mostly by women. Gidha is older than Bhangra and is much more elegant as well. Gidha celebrates the harvest season as well. Women in their traditional salwar kameez. Gidha mainly includes village scenes and women spinning the yarn or fetching water. All of it is accompanied by bolis and songs. It creates an atmosphere of joy and mirth and in a true sense stands for diversity within the borders.
