ਗਿੱਧਾ

Giddha (ਗਿੱਧਾ), pronounced gid-dhaa, is the Punjabi folk dance performed by women in a circle, built on rhythmic clapping and sung couplets called boliyan. It is a feminine noun in this Kosh entry. Colourful, teasing and full of energy, giddha is the celebration dance of weddings and festivals.

Meaning

The Punjab government culture page describes giddha as a native Punjabi song and dance form performed by women, with humour at its heart. No band is needed for a basic performance: the circle itself makes the rhythm with claps, one woman leads with a boli, and the rest answer by repeating the refrain. That call and response shape is what makes giddha feel like a conversation set to a beat.

How is giddha performed?

Dancers stand in a ring, often in bright salwar kameez or ghagra with phulkari dupattas, jewellery and a tikka on the forehead. A lead singer steps the energy up with a short boli, the circle repeats it with claps, steps and turns, and then another voice takes over. Boliyan can be loving, funny or sharply teasing, and they often tell small stories from women's daily lives, homes and relationships.

How is giddha different from bhangra?

Giddha is often described as the women's counterpart to bhangra, and the two share high energy and a harvest celebration spirit. The difference is in the tools: bhangra is built around the dhol drum, while giddha does not need a dhol at all. Its grace, flexibility and storytelling come first, carried by voices and hands rather than by a drum. Since the 1960s, staged giddha and bhangra competitions have also spread through Punjab and the diaspora.

When is giddha performed?

At festive and social occasions: weddings, Teeyan gatherings in the monsoon, Lohri and Vaisakhi celebrations, and family parties at home. In Canada, Britain and the United States, diaspora teams also perform giddha on stage at cultural shows and school competitions, keeping the circle, the clapping and the boliyan exactly as they are done in Punjab.