Kashmiri Wanvun (Wanwon)

Understand

Where Kashmiri Wanvun (Wanwon) comes from

Kashmiri Wanvun is the women's song tradition of the Kashmiri wedding cycle, performed by the women of the family of the bride and groom at the wedding. The Wanvun is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Kashmiri women and forms part of the broader Kashmiri folk-song repertoire. The form is associated with the celebration of the marriage and with the cultural identity of the Kashmiri women. The Wanvun is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state and at the regional Kashmiri community festivals.

How it's practiced

Kashmiri Wanvun is performed by women of the Kashmiri community at the wedding of the bride and groom, with the women singing the wedding-cycle songs in the courtyard of the host. The women perform the small hand-claps of the Wanvun tradition, with the small steps and the coordinated rhythm of the songs. Music is the dholak and the small regional instruments of the Kashmiri ensemble. Costume is the everyday Kashmiri dress — the pheran and the regional jewellery. Performances are at the wedding of the family and at the cultural programmes of the state.