Jhum Dance (Tripura)

Understand

Where Jhum Dance (Tripura) comes from

The Jhum dance is a dance of the Tripuri people typically performed by girls and boys of the village at the Jhum-cultivation festivals (the Garia Puja, the Chera-Chowrai, the Tiharai and the regional agricultural celebrations). The dance is associated with the shifting-cultivation life of the Tripuri community and is performed in the central courtyard of the village and in the field-clearing spaces of the Jhum. The Jhum is one of the documented regional traditions of Tripura and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state.

How it's practiced

The Jhum dance is performed by girls and boys of the Tripuri community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the field-clearing space of the Jhum. The dancers perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Jhum cycle and to the rhythm of the dhol and the small flutes. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Tripuri tradition. Costume is the traditional Tripuri dress — the colourful rignai and the men's dhoti-kurta. Performances are at the Jhum-cultivation festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.