Sakhiya dance

Sakhiya dance is a Nepalese traditional dance performed by the Tharu community during the Dashain and Tihar festivals. Officially, it begins on the day of Krishna Janmashtami. The dance is mainly performed by the unmarried young girls and boys. In the first phase, boys play drums and girls use pumpkin leaves. In the second phase, girls use jute fabric and in the final phase, girls have to use cymbals which is known as Majaira in Tharu language. Boys wear Dhoti and Jhuluwa while girls wear Choliya and Fariya. Various ornaments and jewelries are also worn.^[1][2][3]

Sakhiya Nach

Native name	सखिया नाच
Genre	Cultural dance
Instrument(s)	Madal and Majaira
Inventor	Tharu people

The dance is led by the village headsman and generally performed in his house's courtyard. The boy's group select a leader called Aguwa Mandariya and an assistant called Pachhuwa Mandariy. Similarly, the girl's group select a leader called Guru Mohriyiniya and two assistants called Pachhgihniya. On the day of dance, the participants were summoned to avoid evil spirit and the dance is performed in the courtyard of village headsman.^[1][4][5]

References

1. Dangaura, Mohan (2022-02-18). "The Memory of Performance: From Contents to Contexts of Selected Tharu Folk Dances". SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities. 4 (1): 11–28. doi:10.3126/sjah.v4i1.43050. ISSN 2773-7837. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
2. "Dance Sakhiya, Dance". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
3. Acharya123himal (2021-10-16). "The enthusiasm of Sakhia dance is disappearing". Himal Sanchar. Retrieved 2022-10-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. Diwakar (2016-10-11). "Sakhiya dance". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
5. "Youths step up efforts for preserving Tharu dance". nepalnews. Retrieved 2024-03-07.