Dandiya of Daman

Understand

Where Dandiya of Daman comes from

The Daman Dandiya is the Dandiya Raas of the Portuguese-Indian Catholic community of Daman (the small former Portuguese enclave that has a centuries-old cultural synthesis of the Portuguese and the Gujarati traditions), performed by the men and women of the community at the Navaratri festival. The dance is a regional adaptation of the Gujarati Dandiya tradition with the cultural elements of the Portuguese-Catholic community of Daman. The form is one of the documented regional traditions of DNH and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the union territory.

How it's practiced

The Daman Dandiya is performed by men and women of the Portuguese-Indian Catholic community of Daman in two facing rows at the central courtyard of the community. The men and women hold the dandiya (the short stick) in each hand and strike the sticks against partners' sticks in the eight-beat kaherva rhythm. The dance is energetic, with the small jumps and the rhythmic coordination of the Catholic Daman community. Music is the dhol, the shehnai and the small cymbals. Costume is the everyday dress of the Catholic community — the colourful sari for the women and the dhoti-kurta for the men. Performances are at the central courtyard and at the cultural programmes of the union territory.