Phulkari

Phulkari: Traditional Dress of Punjab

It started in Patiala state of Punjab in India. Patiala rose to prominence amongst many princely states of Punjab before independence. Phul means flowers and Kar means the work. So Phulkari literally means Flower Work on the rough heavy cotton.  Throughout the Punjab, in the Hindu,Muslim and Sikh communities alike, women embroider Odhanis (veils) or Chaddar (wraps) ornamented with Phulkar, literally “flower work” and Bagh, garden, a variation where the embroidery completely covers the support material. The support fabric is most often an auspicious dark red, or more rarely, an indigo blue or a white reserved for elderly women, on which the embroidery is executed in untwisted floss silk called pat, sourced from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Bengal and dyed yellow,orange,burgundy,bright pink, purple, blue and green in Amritsar and Jammu. Darning stitch is used to embroider from the reverse side of the fabric, with the longer float on the face, thus allowing large surfaces to be densely embroidered with economy. Aside from their everyday use as veils, the Phulkari is integrated into the lives of the women. and is an indispensable element in ceremonies, especially those concerning birth,death and marriage. When a girl child is born, the women of the family organize a great feast, marking the beginning of the task of the child`s grandmother in creating the future bride`s trousseau. The most significant items of the trousseau are the chope, a reversible Phulkari worked double running stitch and wrapped around the bride after the ritual bath two days before the wedding, and the suber phulkari, composed of five eight petaled lotuses, worn by the bride when she walks around the sacred fire during the wedding ceremony. A phulkari is also worn 11 days after the birth of a son, when the mother goes out for the first time after delivery, and when visiting a temple during religious festivals to request prosperity and happiness for loved ones.

Read More

Giddha

GIDDHA:

Giddha is Punjab's most famous folkal dance for women. In Giddha, the women enact verses called bolis, folk poetry, and dance. The subject matter of these bolis include everything from arguments with the father-in-law to political affairs. The dance rhythm is set by the dhols and the distinctive hand claps of the dancers. These days, people associate Giddha with Bhangra.

Giddha is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab and exhibits teasing, fun and exuberance of Punjabi life. The dance is derived from the ancient ring dance and is just as energetic as Bhangra and at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace, elegance and elasticity. Giddha is essentially danced in circles. Girls form rings and one of the dancers sit in the centre of this ring with a dholki (drum). The vitality of Bhangra can also be seen in the Giddha dance of the women of Punjab. This dance translates into gestures, bolian-verses of different length satirizing politics. The dancers enact verses called bolis, which represent folk poetry at its best. The subject matter of these bolis is wide ranging indeed – everything from arguments with the sister-in-law to political affairs figure in these lively songs - bolis can also cover themes from nature to excesses committed by the husband and his relatives, some talk about love affairs to the loneliness of a bride separated from her groom.

Read More

Bhangra

BHANGRA:

Bhangra is one of most popular dances of India performed during Baisakhi only by the men in Punjab. Among the most virile, vigorous and captivating dances of India, Bhangra includes tricks and acrobatic feats in its performance. The songs include recitation of meaningless `bolis`, words such as hoay, hoay. Or Balle, Balle... 

The Bhangra is perhaps the most virile form of Indian Folk Dances. It strongly reflects the vigor, the vitality, the leaven of exuberance, and the hilarity permeated among the rural folk due to the promise of a coming bumper crop. The drummer usually is standing in the center of the circle & is surrounded by dancers. 

When the wheat crop is ready for ripening, the breeze flows softly & touches the surface of the golden crop creating a ripple and reckoning the sickle, it is a time of celebration. It is absolutely a time, when the hard labor of the farmer is about to bear fruit, it is a time of rejoicing and merry making and through Bhangra their emotions find a perfect outlet for spontaneous expression of genuine happiness. The Bhangra season concludes with the fair of Baisakhi when the wheat crop is harvested. 

Bhangra is considered the king of folk dances in Punjab. There are several styles of performing Bhangra like Sialkoti, Sheikhupuri, Tribal, Malwa, Majha etc. One of the step or move of Bhangra is also similar to the moves of Shiv-Tandav dance, which is danced on one leg by Shiva. Damru i.e. hand-drum is also used in Bhangra. 

The season in which Bhangra is performed begins with the sowing of wheat and then every full moon attracts teams of young men in every village who dance with enthusiasm for hours. The dancers gather in an open space & form a circle around the drummer. Drummer holds two sticks with the help of which he beats the drum, to beckon the dancers to a higher tempo of movement. At the initial stage dance starts with a slow movement of their feet. But as the tempo increases, the hands, the feet and in fact the whole body comes into action. The dancers whirl round and round bending and straightening their bodies, jumping on one leg, raising their hands, clapping with their handkerchiefs and exclaiming the words "Bale Bale, Oh Bale Bale…" which not only inspire themselves but also others for the dance. 

The drummer is usually standing at the center of the circle during the time of performance. At intervals the tempo of the dance becomes slow, dancers stop moving, but continue to beat the rhythm with their feet. One of the dancers from the group come forward near the drummer and covering his left ear with his palm sings a boali or dholla, derived from the traditional folk songs of Punjab. Picking up the last lines of boali, the dancers again start dancing with greater vigor as before. 

For powerful music set up, in addition to a drum, chimta-musical tongs and burchu and sound of the beats from earthen vessels are used. The costumes of a Bhangra dancer are unique, which suits the vigor of dance. They are consists of a bright, colored Patka on the head, a lacha or lungi of the same color, a long tunic and a black or blue waistcoat and ghunghroos on the ankles. Some dancers also wear small rings (nuntian) in their ears as an ornament. 

Read More

Folk dances

FOLK DANCES:

The exuberance and vitality of the people of Punjab are vigorously displayed in their folk dances.With the drum beat or to the tune of some other instrument of folk music, the energetic feet of the people of Punjab are spontaneously set in motion to deliver a folk dance.The folk dances of Punjab are can be simply classified according to male or female folk dances, where the bhangra, jhummar, luddi, julli, dankara and dhumal are male folk dances while sammi, giddha, jaago and kikli are the female folk dances.

Read More

Martial art

 Gatka (Sikh Martial Art):

Gatka is an ancient martial art which has been thoroughly battle-tested and has existed in northern India for many thousands of years. It is based on the basic principle of unification of the mind, body and spirit in a rhythm of life to train a saint-soldier to be able to defend himself or herself.Although it uses the sword as its primary weapon, many other weapons are available to the Gatka master. Today, this art exists exclusively amongst the Sikhs who have passed down the flamboyant techniques through generations, since their sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind wore the two swords of Miri (temporal, worldly) and Piri (spiritual, transcendental). The Sikhs have been responsible for the revival of this early art ensuring it's survival despite mass persecution of the native population in India by foreign invaders like the Mughals and others for many hundreds of years.

Gatka is a complete martial system which uses spiritual, mental and physical skills in equal portions to help one fully competent in defending themselves and others. It is a system that can only be used in defence as per:

"When all other means have failed, it is proper to take the sword in one’s hand", Guru Gobind Singh in Zafarnama.

Read More

Games

 Games of Punjab:

By nature Punjabis are sports-lovers. They have produced some world-famous sportsmen like Dara Singh, Milkha Singh and Balbir Singh, who have made a name for themselves and for the country in wrestling, athletics and hockey. There are all types of  games  suiting the age and stamina of all persons. While the young persons are engaged in Kabaddi and wrestling, the smaller ones play gullidanda, kokla chhapaki, khiddoo etc. Older persons have tahna and chopar to keep them occupied.

 Sports are a common phenomenon at fairs. The participants jump into the fields to play kabaddi, wrestling, gripping the wrist etc. Sometimes inter-village championships are held. 

KABADDI:

This game is popular even today and is played now by both boys and girls. This was included in the Asian Games also and is popular all over south Asia. The game is played between two teams. A line is drawn between the two teams and each team would send a player across the line. If the player after crossing the line is able to touch a player of the opposite side and came back without being caught, the team doing so would win and a point was added to its score. This process by the player crossing the line has to be performed in a single breath. The team with higher score would be the winner.

BULLOCK CART RACE:

The bullock-cart race reflects the understanding between a farmer and his best friend - his bullocks (not bollocks!). it is as difficult as horse riding but since all farmers cannot afford horses, they have found another version of it. Bullock cart racing is considered as being cruel to animals by many animal rights activists who are fighting to ban it in India. As you can see in the video the bullocks collide and fall down during the race. For rural Punjabis it is a way to relate to the animals and the fields, all at once. And it is tradition...

KHO-KHO:

Kho Kho is a sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team, only 9 players of the team enter the field. It is one of the two most popular traditional tag games of South Asia.Apart from South Asia (mainly India and Pakistan), it is also played in South Africa.

HOCKEY:

Hockey  is a team sport  which is played between two teams of eleven players with hockey sticks and a hard, solid plastic ball. At the turn of the 21st century, the game is played globally, with particular popularity throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America – in addition to being the national sport of both India and Pakistan.

Read More

Festivals

Festivals of Punjab:

Punjab has a rich cultural history of celebrating various festivals and fairs with grandeur and enthusiasm. Festivals in Punjab are famous for its vivacity and colors.The people of Punjab are very fun loving and love to mix with others. The exciting Punjab festivals provide the people an opportunity to enjoy and indulge in social interaction. The festivals of Punjab are celebrated with pomp and glory and it involves a huge fanfare.The people come together to share good times during the festivals in Punjab.Social interaction and rejoicement forms part of the festivals in Punjab.Some of the popular Punjab festivals are Lohri, Bandi Chhor Divas(Diwali), Baisakhi and Holla Mohalla.

         LOHRI:

The exciting harvest festival - Lohri in Punjab is one of the greatest festivals of the state. The people of Punjab show their gratitude to god for providing them with the rich resources. The festival gets a different flavor with traditional folk songs and dances like the Bhangra, Giddha etc.

They dance and sing around the bonfires and children are treated with gifts, money, eatables etc. as they roam around from door to door, singing praises of Dulla Bhatti.

The Lohri festival is among the oldest festivals of the country and it dates back to the time of Indus Valley civilization. A legendary story is associated with the Lohri Festival. Dulla Bhatti was the Rajah of of Pindi Bhattan, who had a huge popularity among his people. Almost like Robin Hood of the West, Dulla provided financial support to the poor by robbing the rich people of the land. He was killed by the Mughals for revolting against them. The tales of his bravery and generosity is remembered in the day of Lohri through songs and dances.


Lohri is celebrated on the 13th day of January every year, which falls in the month of Poush or Magh according to the Hindu calender. The festival precedes the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti. The Lohri Festival bring together people from every caste and community, enhancing brotherhood and social interaction. The Lohri Festival of Punjab is truly a festival for the mass.



BAISAKHI:
Baisakhi is a seasonal festival with a special accent. It is celebrated all over Punjab on the first of Baisakh. This is the time when harvested crops are gathered in and the farmers exult in the fulfillment of their year's hard work.

On this festival, the farmers join the merry-making with full gusto and do not mind walking for miles to be able to do so. Since this fair is also an expression of prosperity, singing and dancing are its most enchanting features.The Punjab's famous Bhangra and Giddha are inextricably linked with this festival.

A rural festival of North India, marking the beginning of the solar year (New year), celebrated in Punjab with great fervor. For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

It also signifies the end of harvest of the main crop. During Baisakhi the farmers pay 'thanks' to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. Baisakhi involves a lot of socializing where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served.

The holy book of the Sikhs, 'Granth Sahib' is taken in a procession, led by the 'Panj Pyaras' (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. The occasion is celebrated with great enthusiasm at Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the Guru Granth Sahib in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. 







HOLA MOHALLA:
Hola Mohalla - a Sikh festival is celebrated every year in the month of March, a day after Holi. Hola "Mohalla" derives its name from Punjabi word “Mohalla” implies an organized Procession in the form of an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to another.
The festival was started by the tenth Sikh Guru – Guru Govind Singh who had tried to gather Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles after Holi. This has now become a traditional annual festival of Sikhs held at Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab. The festival also marks the New Year as per lunar Nanakshahi calendar of Sikhs. It is celebrated over three days and it retains the character of fun and joy of Holi which concludes a day before. Even today, Sikhs celebrate this festival joyfully by watching and performing in martial arts parades, led by the Nishan Sahibs of the Gurdwaras. Which is then, followed by poetry readings and music competitions. But viewing it closely might be risky for spectators as the participants who perform Hola Mohalla fight hard with one another even though they do not fight in reality. The celebration has been recognized as a National Festival by the Govt. of India and it is being celebrated in the state of Punjab since 1701. 













BANDI CHHOR DIVAS(DIWALI):
Bandi Shor(Shodh) Divas ("Day of Liberation") ( ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ ) is a Sikh festival which occurs during the month of Ashvin in the Indian lunisolar calendar, around the new moon day (Amavasya). This usually falls in November. Bandi Shor(Shodh) Diwas and Diwali are separate festivals and the events actually fall on different days; however, commonly in the popular calendars, they are celebrated on the same day. For this reason, many people often think of these events as if they are the same. In real terms, the day of release of the sixth Guru with the 52 kings was actually a few days before Diwali in 1619.
The word "Bandi" is translated from Punjabi into English as "Imprisoned" (or "Prisoner"), "Shor"(shodh) as "Release," and "Divas" as "Day," rendering "Bandi Shor(Shodh) Divas" from Punjabi into English as "Prisoners' Release Day."
Bandi Shor(Shodh) Divas celebrates the release from prison of the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, and 52 other princes with him, in October 1619. Following their release, Guru Hargobind Ji arrived in Amritsar in the midst of the Diwali festival, and the day was henceforth associated with his liberation.

Read More

PUNJABI CULTURE

Punjab is called the land of  five rivers as the word punjab is made up of two Persian words-'panj' and 'aab', where panj means five in punjabi and aab means rivers in punjabi.

 Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjab region and of punjabi people who are distributed throughout the world .It is one of the oldest and richest cultures  in world history.

.

Read More