Dancing for Themselves

Ritual Celebrations of Chaitra Parva in West Bengal (Photo Essay)

Abstract

Chaitra Parva, a seasonal overlap between spring and summer, is celebrated annually through a series of ritual rites, many of which include dance and music, invoking Lord Shiva (a Hindu male deity). It is mainly performed by the ordinary non-Brahmans known as ritual bhaktas, who undertake perilous austerities, renunciation, and self-mortification to appease Lord Shiva. This four-day festival is known as – Falhar (fruit worship), Jagaran (night of awakening), Bhakta Ghora (wheel celebration), and Balidan (animal sacrifice). This reflection on the dance festival in writing and photography aims to visually capture how the Chaitra Parva festival embodies rural West Bengal’s cultural landscape. It also sheds light on how those ritual rites, accompanied by dance and music, connect the people with a sense of belongingness while representing a unique cultural identity.