What is Garba?
Garba is a dance that originated in the Gujarat region of India. It is performed usually by Indian women and is considered a popular folk dance in the said region. The word “garba” has Sanskrit roots and it means womb and/or small lamp. The traditional way of dancing the garba involves women dancing in circular or spiral patterns. It is also common to see a lighted lamp in the center while the dancers are performing. It was also popular in the past to put images or statues of the Goddess Shakti at the center of the floor where the female dancers are performing. There are also times that the image of the Goddess Durga is the one placed in the middle of the dancing ring. The whole dance signifies some form of veneration to India’s Goddesses and these are usually performed during the Navaratri, a Hindu festival that spans for nine days.

Traditional garba involves clapping and singing to the rhythmic tunes of Indian music. The leader of the Garba dance is usually in-charge of singing the first part of the song, while the rest of the female dancers will song along during the chorus. The steps and moves in this type of Indian dance are circular or spiral in manner. These steps are done while venerating an image or statue of Indian Goddesses. But over time, the traditional garba dance has been influenced by another dance called “raas”, which is known to be performed usually by men. Because of the mixture of these two types of dances, the garba dance of today has become more lively and energetic. With raas influence, garba is now performed with sticks called dandiyas making the whole dance more appealing to watch.

Garba continues to be popular even in India’s younger generations. In fact, this particular dance has also reached other countries like the US and the UK along with Indian festivals and celebrations.