Sua Song-Dance

Understand

Where Sua Song-Dance comes from

Sua is the women's cradle-song tradition of Chhattisgarh (the Sua Karkearee tradition is one of the oldest song-cycles of the region) — performed at the bridal cradle on the day before the wedding. The custom is one of the most celebrated of the wedding-cycle traditions of the Chhattisgarhi heartland, with the cradle (the sua) ceremonially moved to the bride's home and the women singing and dancing around it. The Sua tradition is part of the broader women's folk song-cycle of the region that includes Sohar (birth), Chhath and Kothveer. The dance has been documented as a defining culture of Chhattisgarh and is regularly performed at state cultural pageants and in urban cultural programmes of Raipur, Bhilai and Bilaspur.

How it's practiced

Sua is performed by women in a circle around a cradle (the sua) that is decorated with coloured cloth, flowers and small mirrors. The women sing the Sua songs (a long cycle of verses dedicated to the bride and her new home) while gently rocking the cradle and dancing in slow steps around it. The accompanying instruments are the dholak and the small cymbals, occasionally the shehnai at the bride's home. The dance is delicate and gentle, with the women touching the cradle and tracing its lines as they sing. Costume is the colourful bridal Chhattisgarhi dress — the red and yellow sari, with the heavy silver jewellery. Performances are held at the eve of the marriage, with the dance continuing through the night.