Phag

Understand

Where Phag comes from

Phag is the men's Holi (spring) dance of Haryana, performed at the full-moon of Phalgun (February-March) at the Holi festival. The dance is associated with the Braj-Haryana tradition of Holi (the festival of colour and the legend of Hiranyakashipu's destruction). The Phag is part of the seasonal celebrations of the rural villages of Haryana and is performed particularly at the Holi of the Jat and Ahir villages. The form has a long history in the region and has been documented by the Haryana cultural department as one of the most popular men's dances of the state.

How it's practiced

Phag is performed by groups of men at the Holi festival — often in the afternoon and the morning of the Holi day. The men dance in the courtyard or village field, often carrying sticks (the lathi) or small swords (the khanda) and moving in time to the dhol and the dholak. The dance is often vigorous and includes the form of the mock-combat, with the men leaping and lifting the lathis in coordinated patterns. Music is the dhol, the dholak and the brass-shehnai, with the female audience clapping in accompaniment. Costume is the simple rural Jat dress — the dhoti, the kurta and the bright pagri. The dance is performed at the rural Holi and at the village gathering of the Phagun festival.