Jhumair or Jhumar is an Indian folk dance from the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. It is folk dance of Sadan, the non-tribal people of Chotangpur region. It is quite famous among Tea-garden community of Assam.
History
Mesolithic dancers at Bhimbetka
Jhumair is an ancient folk dance. Similar dance found in Mesolithic paintings of Bhimbetka rock shelters. Jhumair dance dates as far back as Mesolithic period.
Performance
Jhumair is a community dance performed during the harvest season and festivals. The dance is mostly performed in open places. Traditional Musical instruments generally used are Dhol, Mandar, Bansi, Nagara, Dhak and Shehnai etc.
Lyrics
The lyrics of Jhumair are built on day-to-day languages and mostly depict love or pleasures and pains of day-to-day life.
Varieties
There are variety of Jhumair in the region of Chotanagpur such as:
- Kurmali Jhumair, folk dance of Kudumi Mahato community.
- Panchpargania Jhumair
- Nagpuri Jhumair
- Khortha Jhumair
The Jhumair/Jhumar from different region vary from each other in style.