Folk Dances of Sikkim

Domain:Performing arts

State:

Description:

Sikkim has unique and distinctive folklore. The Lepcha community is said to be the natives of Sikkim followed by Bhutia who are the descendants of early settlers of Bhutan and Tibet. There also exists a community of Nepalese brought in by the British. Therefore, these people together have folk dances for almost every occasion in Sikkim. The Yak is an animal commonly found in the Northern parts of Sikkim. Therefore, it is one of the most popular subjects of the Sikkim folk repertoire. This dance reflects nature where two people disguise themselves in a yak costume. Another famous dance form is Chu-Faat. It is the folk dance of the Lepcha community where they worship the snowy ranges of mount Kanchenjunga. It is performed to please the mountain god on the fifteenth day of the seventh month according to the Buddhist lunar calendar every year. This ritualistic dance is performed using bamboo leaves and butter lamps. During the sowing and harvesting season, Lepcha people perform a special dance called Zo-mal-lok. It is said that this dance lessens their burden of physical hardship and allows them to enjoy their work. Another very famous dance form of Sikkim is Chabrung which is traditionally performed during the house warming ceremonies to get rid of evil spirits. In fact, the song is all about the sound resonated by an instrument called Ki-mukhla. Maruni Dance is performed by the Nepalese community of Sikkim in the month of Karthik. Some of the other folk dances of Sikkim are Sangini, Tamangselo, Gaine, Shabdo and Singhni Cham.