A performance by Kalbeliya Holi Festival 2013 in Rajasthan.
The Kalbelia dance, performed to celebrate any joyful moment in the community, is an integral part of Kalbelia culture. Their dances and songs are a matter of pride and a marker of identity for the Kalbelias and they represent the creative adaptation of this community of snake charmers to changing socio-economic conditions and their own role in rural Rajasthani society.
The dancers are women in flowing black skirts who dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent. The upper body cloth is called Angrakhi and a piece of cloth worn on head known as Odhani similarly the lower body cloth is called Lengha. All these cloths are mixed in red and black hues and embroidered in such a way that when these dancers perform these clothes represent a combination of colours soothing to eyes as well as to the atmosphere.
The male participants take care of the musical part of the dance. They use the different instruments such as the pungi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes, the dufli, been, the khanjari - a percussion instrument, morchang, khuralio and the dholak to create the rhythm, on which the dancers perform. The dancers are tattooed in traditional designs and wear jewelry and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. As the performance progresses, the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance.
Kalbelia songs are based on stories from folklore and mythology and special dances are performed during Holi. The Kalbelia have a reputation for composing lyrics spontaneously and improvising songs during performances. These songs and dances are part of an oral tradition that is handed down, generations and for which there are neither texts nor training manuals. In 2010, the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were declared a part of its Intangible Heritage List by the UNESCO.
Holi Festival:
The Holi Festival is an inimitable event held annually in Jaipur. Tourists from all over the world participate in the spring festival of Holi. It is festival time with elephants, typically celebrated one day before Holi, the Indian festival of colors.
Staged at Rambagh Polo Ground, Jaipur, artists put up a variety of programs and the arena is brought alive with musicians and dancers. The crowd, which includes sizable presences of foreign and Indian tourist, electrifies the atmosphere. The festival starts with an impressive procession of the majestic animals lovingly painted and tastefully attired with glittering ornaments and embroidered velvets.
Jaipur was a favourite spot with the important personalities of the British Raj and the Maharajas always arranged for their guests of honour elephant rides up to the Amber palace. Even today, the mahouts take tourists up to the Amber Palace on elephant back like shuttle taxis.
Rajasthan Tourism revitalized the ritual by including the Holi Festival in the cultural calendar. The present-day pageant, originated only a decade ago, was worked out especially with the aim of attracting tourists.
Source : Wikipedia & http://www.rajasthantourism.gov.in/Attractions/Fairs-Festivals/ElephantFestival2.aspx
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