Bhangra Indian Folk Dance

Bhaṅgṛā is a type of traditional dance of the Indian subcontinent, originating in the Majha area of Punjab. The dance was associated primarily with the spring harvest festival Baisakhi, and it is from one of the major products of the harvest—bhang —that bhangra drew its name.
dance and music that originate in the Punjab region of India. The dance is generally performed during the Vaisakhi festival that celebrates the harvest. Bhangra has a very energetic and lively tone and the dance is equally vivacious. The festival is celebrated with much pomp and fervor and the dresses worn by the male and female dancers are quite different from each other although both are a reflection of the joyous celebrations.

History

The Bhangra is said to have started by Punjabi farmers in the 14th or 15th century to celebrate the harvest season. As time progressed, the Bhangra became used in almost all major celebrations in Punjab such as weddings or festivals. The Bhangra is danced to the rhythm of a drum, known as the dhol.
One of the other accounts of its origin dates it to the 1880s as a community dance in the month leading up to the Vaisakhi festival. While the dance has now spread to not just Punjab in its entirety, but India and many parts of the world, at the time of its origin it was prominent only in Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gurdaspur and Sheikhpur areas of Punjab.

Sources of Inspiration

The dresses that are worn during a Bhangra performance are very bright, bold and colorful to symbolize the joyful and celebratory nature of the occasion. Since there is a lot of movement associated with this dance form, it is very important that the dresses allow the dancers to move freely. This is why the clothing worn by the dancers are loose fitting so as to ensure that body movement isn’t constricted. Bright shades generally mean different things. For example, Yellow is used to symbolize sarson or mustard, green symbolizes prosperity and red/saffron symbolize the auspicious occasion itself.
The wearing of the turban by male dancers is very important as it represents the pride as well as honor of the people of Punjab. Women wear long flowing clothes as well as fine jewelry for elegance and grace.

Style and Variety  

The Bhangra dress is quite vivid and colorful and is quite similar to the clothes worn every day in Punjab although the hues of the clothes worn on a daily basis are lighter. The style of clothing worn by men when performing Bhangra is different than the type of clothes worn by women. However, they share certain similarities such as color and fabric.

Bhangra Dresses for Men

These are the parts of the Bhangra dress worn by men:
  • Pag: The turban which is stylized in a particular way to be named the ‘pag’. It can also be highlighted with a Gota, or a broad lace.
  • Turla/Torla: An adornment on the turban that looks like a fan
  • Kaintha: A necklace
  • kurta: A type of long shirt
  • Lungi/Chadar/Tehmat: A decorated cloth that is tied around the waist
  • Jugi: A waistcoat that has no buttons
  • Rammal: Scarves that are worn on the fingers


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