Baisakhi Celebration in India

The auspicious day of Baisakhi is celebrated all over India though under different names and with different set of rituals. People of Assam celebrate April 13 as Rongali Bihu, while those in West Bengal celebrate it as Naba Barsha. Bihar celebrates Baisakhi as Vaishakha in honour of the Sun God, Surya while Kerala celebrates it as Vishu and Tamil Nadu as Puthandu. In Kashmir, a ceremonial bath and general festivity mark Baisakhi while in Himachal Pradesh devotees flock to the temple of Jwalamukhi and take a holy dip in the Hot Springs.

Baisakhi Dress

As Baisakhi is one of the major festivals for Sikhs, people in Punjab wear bright new dress to mark the occasion. Kurta and lungi or pajama is a typical dress for men in Punjab while women go in for salwar-kamiz or lehanga-choli. Women further adorn themselves with heavy jewelry of various kinds.

Baisakhi Dance

Dancing is one of the most prominent aspects of Baisakhi celebrations in Punjab. Most popular form of dance for the occasion is Bhangra and Gidda, the folk dance for men and women respectively. To celebrate the harvest festival of Baisakhi men and women dress themselves in traditional attire and get together in open fields and dance to the fast paced beat of the dhol.

The scene of Baisakhi celebrations looks quite colorful. A drummer carries the dhol with the help of a strap around his neck and beats the two heads of the drum using sticks. Leader of the dance group stand by the drummer while other dancers move in a circle. Other people from the village keep joining the circle. Dancers take turns to recite a boli (verse) of the song by coming into the centre of the circle. Most often dancers depict the scenes of sowing, harvesting, winnowing and gathering of crops through zestful movements of the body to the accompaniment of ballads. More excitement is added to dance performances when dancers and drummer challenge each other to continue the dance.

Given here is a short description of popular Bhangra and Giddha, the popular folk dance of Punjab:

Bhangra
Bhangra is the most popular folk dance of Punjab and in recent times it has gained tremendous popularity not just in India but countries around the world. What make bhangra so popular amongst youth today are its fast and energetic pace and relatively simple dance movements. The dance is considered to be extremely vibrant and exudes life, renewal and hope for the future.

By origin, Bhangra is associated with fertility rites and was commonly performed at the time of the ripening of the harvest. Today, bhangra is so popular that it is performed on every social or cultural function in Punjab.

Bhangra dance is performed in several popular styles including Sialkoti, Sheikhupuri, Tribal, Malwa, Majha and Jhummer. Bhangra is danced to the accompaniment of dhol and rhythmic clapping. The flow of the rhythm is interspersed with chants of “Hoy, Hoy”, “Balle, Balle” or “Shawa - Shawa” by the dancers. Use of props like sticks, chimtas and acrobatics add thrill to bhangra performances. Quite often dancers divide themselves competitively into pairs. Each pair performs in its turn while the rest remain in a circle. When a pair exhausts itself it goes back to the ring and another pair comes forward to take its places. This way Bhangra goes on for hours on a Baisakhi day.

Giddha
Giddha is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab and exhibits teasing, fun and exuberance of Punjabi life. Gidda dance is just as energetic as bhangra and at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace 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). Just as in bhangra, one girl comes forward and sings a boli (verse). As she comes to the end of it, the others pick up the refrain and join. Most commonly girls dance in twos.

Gidda dance is stylistically simple. Jingle of the bells, thumping of the feet, beat of the drum and the resplendence of Punjabi women in salwar kameej creates an enchanting atmosphere for it. What makes Giddha so popular is that it is not performed according to any cut-and-dried rule. Harmony is the essence in gidda movements that are inclusive of swinging and twisting the body, shaking of the shoulders, bending to a double and clapping. Giddha dance incorporate village life scenes of woman spinning, fetching water from the well and grinding. This is accompanied with appropriate boli and songs.

Karah Prasad

Karah Prasad or Kada Prasad is sweet flour based oily vegetarian food that is offered to all visitors to the Durbar Sahib in a Gurdwara (Sikh worship place). This is regarded as food blessed by the Guru and should not be refused. All devotees who visit Gurudwaras on the occasion of Baisakhi Festival to celebrate the birth of Khalsa Panth receive Karah Prasad or Kada Prasad by the sewadars (volunteers). This kada prasad holds a lot of importance in Sikh faith. The religion gives prescribed method of preparation, distribution and the way of receiving kada prasad.

Langar

Langar or community meal is one of the fascination features of Sikh religion. Though langars are prepared everyday in Gurudwaras, they are specially looked forward to on special occasions such as Gurupurabs. A special Langar is also prepared on the occasion of Baisakhi - a festival that marks the foundation day of Khalsa Panth, and everyone participates in it with great enthusiasm and gusto.

Baisakhi Gifts
There exists a strong tradition of gifting Baiskhi gifts to near and dear ones in the state of Punjab. Since Baisakhi is one the major festivals for Sikhs they go out of their way to greet their dear ones with best of Baisakhi gifts. Days before the festival gift lists for friends and relatives is dutifully prepared in most households to make sure that no one if left out. People believe that exchanging gifts on Baisakhi helps to strengthen relationships and develop stronger bonds of love.