Garba (dance)

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Garba (Gujarati: ગરબા) is an Indian folk dance. It is a form of circle and social dance originating in Gujarat, and played across the Indian diaspora at festivals and other events. Garba is part of the annual Hindu festival of Navaratri (or "Nine Nights"), held in celebration of Amba Mata, or the primordial mother, an incarnation of Durga. This festival is dedicated to honouring Shakti, the embodiment of feminine divine energy. Garbas form part of Navaratri celebrations at fairs and feasts. Typically, at the end of each Navaratri night of dance, the Gujarati community also plays dandiya raas, a sibling circle-dance form, in which players hold a stick in each hand and tap out a rhythm with a partner. Everyone is invited to join garba and raas, and people of all ages and genders dance together. It is played around an earthen pot with holes on the sides, revealing a flame inside (a symbol of the jiva or soul inside the womb). Alternatively, a picture or statue of the Hindu goddess Amba may...

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