Jhummar

Understand

Where Jhummar comes from

Jhummar (also written Jhumar or Jhoomar; in Sandal Bar also called Ghumbar) is a traditional Punjabi folk dance originating from the Sandal Bar and Chaj Doab regions of Punjab — the south-central area covering the present-day Mianwali, Bhakkar, Layyah and adjoining districts. The word Jhummar derives from jhūm meaning 'to sway' in Punjabi, and the dance is sometimes called the 'jungle-dance of Jhang-Sials' for its tribal rhythmic character. The dance is performed at weddings, at the harvest festivals (Lohri and Basant) and at village celebrations. Jhummar remains popular on both sides of the India-Pakistan border and is one of the more carefully preserved of the non-Bhangra Punjabi folk dances.

How it's practiced

Jhummar is performed by men or women moving in a slow rhythmic sway (jhūmna), in a circle or in lines, to the heavy cycle of the dhol drum whose rhythm is a distinctive 16-beat cycle rather than the 4-beat teental of Bhangra. The accompanying dhol is sometimes supported by the chimta cymbal. The dance emphasises graceful wrist and shoulder movement over vigorous jumping, with the dancers' bodies swaying side to side in time to the deep drum. Costume is the colourful Punjabi salwar-kameez for women, and the kurta with the lamba (loincloth) for men. Jhummar is performed at weddings and harvest festivals, with the dance often running for hours through the night.