Nati — The folk dance of Himachal

Kinnauri Nati(Image source -google)

Ever heard of Nati ? This is the famous folk dance of upper Himachal area.
Nati is the term used for both songs and dance. If you are a dance lover you should definitely try this dance form.If you want to enjoy the traditional functions , marriages and fairs of Himachal ,its a must try for you . Believe me you will definitely enjoy this dance.

Nati is a traditional dance form which local people are following from ages. According to local people Nati generally have stories which are narrated through songs.People dance in groups to the tunes of the various local instruments and local dialects. It is a group dance by both male and female and Dhol, Nagara, Shehnai, Karnal and Narsinghe are the popular music instruments (these are local music instruments)played during Nati with the folk songs.People sing the songs on the tunes of these instruments and enjoy the dance. Most of the local people are fans of this dance . People don’t miss any chance in marriages and functions to take part in this dance. I personally always enjoy Nati. This somehow makes different level of connect with the local culture and the feeling is amazing. Even in fairs where local deities (Devatas) come ,Nati is must . I believe every function is incomplete without Nati in upper Himachal.

Music Instruments in upper Himachal (Image source — google)

There are different forms of Nati dance . Popular Nati dances in Himachal Pradesh include Shimla Nati, Sirmauri Nati ,Lahauli Nati,Kinnauri Nati and Kulluvi Nati. People generally wear their regional colorful dresses while performing this dance. Personally I have seen people performing this Nati dance for long hours during marriages and various functions. It is amazing to see the energy of people while doing this dance. The steps of this dance are simple . The dance have the circular pattern where the people tie their hands with one another and then perform the steps. With musical instruments you will go with flow and will pick the steps easily . The Nati Dance in the second week of January 2016 was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest folk dance in the world. Total 9892 women participated in this folk dance in their traditional colorful Kulluvi dress on 26 October 2015 during International Dussehra festival. This dance is also very popular in Jounsar area of Uttrakhand.

Kulluvi Nati created world record for largest folk dance in the world(Image source — google)

I believe this folk dance of Himachal shows the rich culture of Himachal Pradesh. The best thing is people have not forgotten this and the young generation is crazy for this. So you should never miss this dance when you get a chance to attend any wedding or function in Himachal :)