Rongali Bihu Celebration.....Shillong 2010.

Hi friends --something at professional front is keeping me occupied because of which i am not as much regular visiting you all .I will be back to blogger by the end of this month .Here are few more pictures from Shillong Bihu celebration,which i would like to share with you .Bihu is one of the biggest festival of this part of India. This celebration reflects the rich cultural heritage of this beautiful region as the people from all the communities /tribes participate with equal enthusiasm .The spirit of Bihu binds all of them together irrespective of their caste,creed and religious beliefs.

The picture above is of famous Wangala Dance of Garos .Meghalaya, which means land of clouds, is mainly an agricultural and farming land. The inhabitants here therefore generally worship the Lord of farming and agriculture. The Wangala Festival which is also known as Hundred Drums festival is therefore a grand Carnival to celebrate the harvest season.It is a "Thanksgiving" ceremony to Misi Saljong, also known as Pattigipa Ra'rongipa (The Great Giver) for having blessed the human beings with rich harvest of the season.This dance was presented by the dancers of Meghalaya art n cultural group.If you are interested you can read more about this dance here .

Here in this picture the artist is playing Assamese Traditional musical instrument known as PEPA --it is an integral part of the folk music of Assam.It is usually with a very short stem made from small diameter bamboo/cane/reed with the end away from the mouth capped with the horn of a buffalo.
I clicked the above picture back stage where these beautiful dancers were waiting for their turn....i loved the way they smiled at the camera.

The same group later performed Bihu dance...it was an enthralling performance.Bihu’ performed by young men and women reflect youthful passions and joys during the spring season, accompanied by songs woven around the theme of love and physical yearning. The whole atmosphere comes alive with the rhythm of drums and flutes.

Here is Snow Lion-Dance being performed by the Tibetan community of Shillong.In Tibet the Snow-Lion symbolized the fearless and elegant quality of the enlightened mind.When a healthy and harmonious environment is established by the creative activities of human being such as through the performance of sacred purify and healing music,all living beings are represented by the snow lion..

This group presented Bagrumba-Dance.Bagrumba is one of the main dance forms of Bodos, the largest tribal community of Assam.The attire you see them wearing is completely hand woven.Holding the ends of colourful scarves hung round their necks, the dancers move forward and backward with alternate footsteps to the accompaniment of Kham (drum) and Sifung (flute). The special features of the dance like harmoniums jerks of the waist, graceful, forward and backward swinging of the body and wrist that makes it more fascinating.

Here comes another beautiful dance form of Assam...Jhumur -Dance. Assam is very famous for its tea gardens. The people residing in an working in the tea gardens of Assam are called “kulis”. The tea tribes have a synthesized form of dance called "Jhumur Nach", performed by girls and boys together, or, sometimes by the girls alone, with precision of footwork while clasping tightly each other's waist .The dance is performed to the rhythmic accompaniment of the Madal(dhol). The costume worn by the Jhumur dancers is different from the traditional costume worn for the Bihu dance.
This is Goalporia-Dance.Songs and dances are an integral part of the lives of the people in Goalpara district.The song on which these dancers performed is one of the most popular Goalporia song 'Kamola sundori nache'.
Buwari-Bihu (buwari means a daughter-in-law)....this bihu dance is performed mainly by the married ladies.
The members of the ladies club presented this beautiful chorus .As you can see all of them are wearing traditional Mekhela Chador.

Hope you liked the post,i will be back to you all in a week or two.Thanks for your constant support and encouragement.

information on few dances ...courtesy Culture of Assam(official website ).