Tripura dance festival

Due to its multi-cultural and multi-lingual communities in Tripura, there are various festivals celebrated in the state. Garia and Gajan festival is celebrated in the month of April. Rabindra/ Nazrul Jayanti is celebrated in the month of May. Manasa Mangal is also celebrated in the month of August throughout the state. Tripura is mostly inhabited by the Bengalis who celebrate Durga Puja with pomp and grandeur throughout the state in the month of October. Ashokastami held during the month of April is celebrated in Unakoti. Boat Race held at Melaghar and Gandacherra is celebrated in the month of August. Diwali is celebrated within the premises of Mata Tripureswari Temple located at Udaipur in the month of November.

¤ Dance Culture of the State

The culture of dance in Tripura is vibrant and associated with the ethnic tribes that are both indigenous and native. The Tripuri community, the Reang Community, the Chakma community, Halam (Malsum) Community, Lushai community and Garo tribes are some of the tribes that has exotic dress code and dance form.

Garia Dance
Due to its mountainous region, Tripuris employ the Jhum cultivation. Tripuris culture and life mainly revolve around the Jhum cultivation. Usually they pray to the God 'Garia' for a good harvest after the sowing of the seeds had been done in the middle of April. Sometimes the celebrations go on for many days when they decide to entertain their respective deities with the feet of song and dance.

Lebang Boomani Dance
There is a period to rest, for the Tripuris after the Garia festival. Whenever folks of charming colourful insects known as 'Lebang' visit these hill slopes for the sown seeds, the tribal youths start indulging in merry-making. The men make a rhythmic sound by the help of the two bamboo chips in their hands and women run on the hill slopes to catch the insects. The fact is that the rhythm from the bamboo chips attract the insects and the women catch them. One of the most famous dances of Tripura, in these dances Tripuris use the musical instruments like khamb made of bamboo, flute, Sarinda, lebang made of bamboo and bamboo cymbal.

Hozagiri Dance
This dance form of the Reang Community is quite different from other dances. The performer dances by moving his waist till his feet with a wonderful wave whereas movement of the upper torso and the hands is somewhat restricted. Here the belle of the dance stands on an earthen pitcher with a bottle on the head and a lighted lamp on it. The dance never fails to impress the onlookers. The Reang women put coin rings, which covers the entire upper part.