← Dance-Fitness to Punjabi Music · Module 2 of 7 · 8 minutes

What is bhangra?

Key idea: Bhangra is better understood as something people do than as a thing: a Punjabi celebration with roots in the harvest, part of a family of Punjabi dances.

Roots in the harvest

Published accounts describe bhangra as a folk dance of the Punjab region, strongly associated with Vaisakhi, the spring festival marking the wheat harvest. It began as a celebration that farming communities did for themselves, together, after hard work. Accounts disagree on exactly where and when it started, and on where the word comes from, so treat any single tidy story with care.

One dance in a family

Bhangra is one of several Punjabi folk dances. Others include jhumar, luddi, giddha (the women’s dance of song, clapping and playful verses), sammi and kikli. Knowing the family keeps bhangra in proportion.

Noun or verb?

A noun is a thing you have, watch or point at. A verb is something you do. “Bhangra dancing” repeats itself, like “chai tea” or “naan bread”.

Seven versions so far

v1.0 Origins: spiritual dance, widely thought to be named after bhang (cannabis).
v2.0, 1400s to 1500s: farmers dance at harvest and Vaisakhi.
v3.0, 1947: Partition carries it into East Punjab, and it spreads through college shows.
v4.0, 1950s and 60s: it moves to the stage, with competitions and new moves.
v5.0, 1970s and 80s: UK bands blend it with Western instruments.
v6.0, 1990s on: it fuses with hip hop, house and reggae and goes international.
v7.0, today: fitness classes and social media.

Each generation changed it to suit its time and place, which is why the word means different things to different people.

Why do many people think it is a noun?

Anglicisation: made to fit English language and ways of thinking.
Colonialisation: one culture’s framing laid over another’s.
Nominalisation: an action turned into the name of a thing.