Tripura Cultural Dance and Festival

Due to its multi-cultural and multi-lingual communities in Tripura, there are various festivals celebrated in the state. Garia and Gajan festival is celebrated in the month of April. Rabindra/ Nazrul Jayanti is celebrated in the month of May. Manasa Mangal is also celebrated in the month of August throughout the state. Tripura is mostly inhabited by the Bengalis who celebrate Durga Puja with pomp and grandeur throughout the state in the month of October. Ashokastami held during the month of April is celebrated in Unakoti. Boat Race held at Melaghar and Gandacherra is celebrated in the month of August. Diwali is celebrated within the premises of Mata Tripureswari Temple located at Udaipur in the month of November.


¤ Dance Culture of the State

The culture of dance in Tripura is vibrant and associated with the ethnic tribes that are both indigenous and native. The Tripuri community, the Reang Community, the Chakma community, Halam (Malsum) Community, Lushai community and Garo tribes are some of the tribes that has exotic dress code and dance form.

Garia Dance
Due to its mountainous region, Tripuris employ the Jhum cultivation. Tripuris culture and life mainly revolve around the Jhum cultivation. Usually they pray to the God 'Garia' for a good harvest after the sowing of the seeds had been done in the middle of April. Sometimes the celebrations go on for many days when they decide to entertain their respective deities with the feet of song and dance.


Lebang Boomani Dance
There is a period to rest, for the Tripuris after the Garia festival. Whenever folks of charming colourful insects known as 'Lebang' visit these hill slopes for the sown seeds, the tribal youths start indulging in merry-making. The men make a rhythmic sound by the help of the two bamboo chips in their hands and women run on the hill slopes to catch the insects. The fact is that the rhythm from the bamboo chips attract the insects and the women catch them. One of the most famous dances of Tripura, in these dances Tripuris use the musical instruments like khamb made of bamboo, flute, Sarinda, lebang made of bamboo and bamboo cymbal.

Hozagiri Dance
This dance form of the Reang Community is quite different from other dances. The performer dances by moving his waist till his feet with a wonderful wave whereas movement of the upper torso and the hands is somewhat restricted. Here the belle of the dance stands on an earthen pitcher with a bottle on the head and a lighted lamp on it. The dance never fails to impress the onlookers. The Reang women put coin rings, which covers the entire upper part.

Bizu Dance
This is popular form of dance that is characteristic of the Chakma community. During 'Chaitra-Sankranti' this dance is performed and denote the end of Bengali Calendar year. The Chakmas dance and sing, bidding goodbye to the ending year and welcomed the new year. Orchestration of this dance is seen with the rhythm coming from the 'Khenggarang' and 'Dhukuk'(flutes).

Hai-Hak Dance
The social and economic life of the Halam also is based on the Jhum cultivation. When the harvesting season ends, the Malsum tribe, which comes under the Halam, adores and praises Goddess Laxmi. It is during this, they enjoy their Hai-Hak dance. Rhythms of the dance and the lively people reflect the tradition inherited through the ages.

Wangala Dance
This dance is performed by the Garo community. When the ceremony starts, 'Wangala' (1st rice eating ceremony) is performed in every house and the head of the community known as Sangnakma visits every house and cuts a pumpkin as part of the ceremony. The pumpkin is sacrificed and after the ritual is done, all the women would dance to the beats of 'Dama' and 'Aaduri' made out of buffalo horn. It usually explains the rehearsal for war.

Welcome Dance
Lusai community have Welcome dance for welcoming visitors. The Lusai girls wear colorful dresses and they dances whenever visitors come to their houses. These girls do not need much ornaments since the dress is so colourful.

Cheraw Dance
The Darlong community perform this dance. This dance stem from their faith in afterlife. They had the belief that man are destined to go to heaven after death. The firm belief in the afterlife had even made pregnant woman perform this dance through out day and night. Their thought that even when the woman dies , the woman goes to heaven with the courage and confidence along with the joy from the sound of the bamboo as the rhythm of dance produced till she dies.

Way (Lamp) Dance
This festival is celebrated by the Mog community and observed on the full moon day of the Bengali month of Ashwin. Lamps are lit in dedication to the Lord Buddha. Young boys and girls stand in rows with lamps to worship the Lord Buddha. Then the youngsters have merriment through songs and dances within the temple of Lord Buddha. This dance is called the Way Dance or Lamp dance.