Kalbelia
The Kalbelia are a snake charming tribe from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India.[1] The dance is an integral part of their culture and performed by men and women.
Kalbelia Tribes
Kalbelias are followers of Sage Kanifnath, who drank a bowl of poison and was blessed with control over venomous snakes and animals.[2][3]
Kalbelias are divided in two main groups, the Daliwal and Mewara. The Kalbelias moved frequently from one place to another in ancient times. Their traditional occupation is catching snakes and trading
Traditionally, Kalbelia men carried cobras in cane baskets from door to door in villages while their women sang, danced and begged for alms. They revere the
Since the enactment of the
The Kalbelias are Cultural Hindus and practice snake worship; they worship the Nāga and Manasa, and their holy day is Naga Panchami. The Kalbelias have different traditions from the majority of Hindus. The Kalbelia men wear a Apadravya. Kalbelias bury their dead, instead of cremating them (as is common with Hindus in the rest of the country). The groom has to pay the bride's father a price for the bride and the groom's father has to pay for the wedding.[7]
Kalbelia dance
The Kalbelia dance, folk dance of rajasthan performed as a celebration, is an integral part of Kalbelia culture. Their dances and songs are a matter of pride and a marker of identity for the Kalbelias, as they represent the creative adaptation of this community of snake charmers to changing socio-economic conditions and their own role in rural Rajasthani society.
The dancers are women in flowing black skirts who dance and twirl, replicating the movements of a serpent. They wear an upper body cloth called an angrakhi and a headcloth known as the odhani; the lower body cloth is called a lehenga. All these clothes are of mixed red and black hues and embroidered.
The male participants play musical instruments, such as the pungi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes, the dufli, been, the khanjari - a percussion instrument, morchang, khuralio and the dholak to create the rhythm on which the dancers perform. The dancers are tattooed in traditional designs and wear jewelry and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver threads. As the performance progresses, the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance.[6]
Kalbelia songs are based on stories taken from folklore and mythology and special dances are performed during
See also
- Gulabo Sapera
- Ghoomar: Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan, India.
- Rajasthani people
- Romani people
- Dom people
- Lom people
References
- ^ "Kalbelia Folk Dances of Rajasthan".
- ^ Kalbelia - Tribe of Rajasthan (in Hindi). Epic Channel. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ "Kalbelia society did Guru Puja on Guru Kanifnath Samadhi Day". Dainik Bhaskar. 28 November 2019.
- ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh; Lavania, B. K.; Samanta, D. K.; Mandal, S. K.; Vyas, N. N.; Anthropological Survey of India. "Suthar". People of India Vol. XXXVIII. Popular Prakashan. p. 1012.
- ISBN 81-85683-29-8.
- ^ a b c "Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan". UNESCO.
- ^ "The Kalbelia - the Infamous Gypsies of Rajasthan's Deserts".
External links
- Kalbelia: Kamla Sallu nath sapera & Party
- Jaisalmer Ayo:Gateway of the Gypsies
- About culture of Kalbelia by Suramnath Kalbelia Sapera
- Photo essay on the Kalbelias
- Kalbelia costume
- Kalbelia: Rajki-Puran Nath Sapera & Party
- "Kalbelia", World Music Central
- Kalbelia: Cobra Gypsies - full documentary
- KALBELIA FOLK MUSIC AND DANCE FROM RAJASTHAN
- Kalbelia in USA - Katrina Ji