MyIPL at 05:27, 6 February 2026

2026-02-06T05:27:22Z

New page

{{Short description|Punjabi women's folk dance}}
{{Redirect|Gidda|the genus of beetle|Gidda (beetle)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox dance
| name = Giddha
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| etymology =
| image = Giddha 1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| genre = [[Folk dance]]
| signature =
| instruments =
| inventor =
| year =
| origin = Punjab
}}{{Punjabis}}
'''Giddha''' ({{langx|pa|ਗਿੱਧਾ}}) is a popular [[folk dance]] of women in the [[Punjab region]]. The dance is often considered derived from the [[ancient]] dance known as the ring dance and is just as energetic as [[Bhangra (dance)|bhangra]]; at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace, [[elegance]] and flexibility. It is a highly colourful dance form which has spread to all regions of India. Women perform this dance mainly at festive or social occasions. The dance is accompanied by rhythmic clapping, with a typical traditional folk song performed by elder women in the background.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Giddha varies from other forms of traditional Punjabi dance in that it does not require the two-headed barrel ''[[dhol]]'' drum to be performed. Instead, women stand in a circle formation and clap rhythms. A lead woman will recite a ''boli'' (lyrics) with a refrain that the entire circle then repeats. The whole form of a giddha song is worked through in this [[call and response]] form. Giddha details stories of women's lives, including sexuality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shan-e-punjab.ca/dance-styles|title=Dance Styles|website=Shan-e-Punjab|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-22}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Photograph of Punjabi village girls and women performing a group Giddha dance in the 1920's.jpg|thumb|Photograph of Punjabi village girls and women performing a group Giddha dance in a “Sath” in the 1920's]]
Giddha is said to be originated from the ancient ring dance which was dominant in Punjab.<ref>{{Citation |last=Conyers |first=Claude |title=Folk dance |date=2011-02-23 |work=Oxford Music Online |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2092451 |access-date=2024-03-20 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2092451 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Giddha displays a traditional mode of performing Punjabi femininity, as seen through dress, choreography, .<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utsavpedia.com/cultural-connections/evergreen-folk-dance-from-punjab-giddha/ |title=Giddha Origin and history |date=15 July 2013 |publisher=utsavpedia.com |access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref> Since the [[Partition of India]] in 1947 and the division of Punjab into [[West Punjab]] (Pakistan) and [[East Punjab]] (India), folk dances of Punjab on both sides of the border have been consolidated, staged, and promoted as iconic expressions of Punjabi culture.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Schreffler|first=Gibb|date=2004|title=Vernacular Music and Dance of Punjab|journal=Journal of Punjab Studies|volume=11|issue=2|pages=197–214}}</ref> While the form of giddha was not seriously affected by Partition, Gibb Schreffler writes that it has been classified as the women's dance counterpart to the male form bhangra, despite that not entirely being the case.<ref name=":0" />

As Punjabi dance forms became codified in the 1960s-onward, bhangra and giddha competitions have become popular throughout Punjab and the [[Punjabi diaspora]]. Punjabi dance forms have also spread through collegiate-level dance troupes in Punjab since the 1960s and in South Asian student groups in the US, UK, and Canada since the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schreffler|first=Gibb|date=2013|title=Situating bhangra dance: a critical introduction|journal=South Asian History and Culture|volume=4|issue=3|pages=384–412|doi=10.1080/19472498.2013.808514|s2cid=143912821}}</ref>

==Dress code==
[[File:Folk dancers from Punjab performing at six-day Folk Dance Festival ‘Lok Tarang, in New Delhi on January 19, 2007.jpg|thumb|Folk dancers from Punjab performing at six-day Folk Dance Festival ‘Lok Tarang, in New Delhi on January 19, 2007]]

Traditionally, women used to wear salwar kameez and Ghagra in bright colours and jewellery. The attire is completed by dressing the hair in two braids and folk ornaments and wearing a tikka on the forehead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianmirror.com/dance/gidda.html |title=Giddha Dress Code |publisher=indianmirror.com |access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dance in India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Folk dances of Punjab]]
[[Category:Dance in India]]

Giddha - Revision history

MyIPL at 05:27, 6 February 2026