ਸੰਗੀਤ ਤੇ ਨਾਚ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ

Punjab is heard before it is seen. The dhol at a wedding, the tumbi in a folk song, the harmonium and tabla of kirtan at dawn: the words on this page name the dances, the instruments and the singing itself. Some are centuries old and tied to the harvest; others power the Punjabi pop that fills cars from Ludhiana to Toronto. Every word links to its full page in the Kosh.

The dances

<a href="/kosh/words/bhangra/">ਭੰਗੜਾ (bhangra)</a> - Punjab's harvest folk dance, danced to the dhol

<a href="/kosh/words/giddha/">ਗਿੱਧਾ (giddha)</a> - the women's folk dance, sung in boli verses with clapping

<a href="/kosh/words/jhumar/">ਝੂਮਰ (jhumar)</a> - the slow, graceful harvest dance that mimes the farming year

<a href="/kosh/words/sammi/">ਸੰਮੀ (sammi)</a> - the slow circle folk dance of the Sandalbar and Pothohar belt, danced with swinging hands

<a href="/kosh/words/nachna/">ਨੱਚਣਾ (nachna)</a> - to dance

The instruments

<a href="/kosh/words/dhol/">ਢੋਲ (dhol)</a> - the double-headed folk drum at the heart of the beat

<a href="/kosh/words/tumbi/">ਤੂੰਬੀ (tumbi)</a> - the one-string folk instrument, plucked high and fast

<a href="/kosh/words/algoza/">ਅਲਗੋਜ਼ਾ (algoza)</a> - the paired folk flute, two pipes played as one

<a href="/kosh/words/chimta/">ਚਿਮਟਾ (chimta)</a> - musical tongs with jingles, a folk percussion instrument

<a href="/kosh/words/sarangi/">ਸਾਰੰਗੀ (sarangi)</a> - the bowed folk fiddle, the dhadi singer's lead instrument

<a href="/kosh/words/rabab/">ਰਬਾਬ (rabab)</a> - the plucked lute played by Bhai Mardana, the first instrument of kirtan

<a href="/kosh/words/dhadd/">ਢੱਡ (dhadd)</a> - the small hourglass drum of the Dhadi ballad singers, played with the fingers

The singing

<a href="/kosh/words/gaana/">ਗਾਉਣਾ (gaana)</a> - to sing

<a href="/kosh/words/kirtan/">ਕੀਰਤਨ (kirtan)</a> - devotional singing of the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib

How to use these words

Start with the beat. Almost every Punjabi celebration runs on the ਢੋਲ (dhol), and the dance it drives is ਭੰਗੜਾ (bhangra), born in the wheat harvest. The women's answer is ਗਿੱਧਾ (giddha), where the music is made by voices and clapping and the verses, called boli, tease and celebrate in turn. The full pages tell each story properly.

The same words work worldwide. A learner in Brampton or Southall who knows ਤੂੰਬੀ (tumbi) and ਅਲਗੋਜ਼ਾ (algoza) can talk about the folk roots of the songs on the radio, and ਕੀਰਤਨ (kirtan) opens the door to the gurdwara phrases on the Punjabi phrases page.

What is bhangra in Punjabi?

ਭੰਗੜਾ (bhangra) is Punjab's harvest folk dance, performed to the beat of the dhol. It began as a celebration of the wheat harvest and is now danced at weddings and festivals worldwide.

What is the Punjabi drum called?

The Punjabi drum is the ਢੋਲ (dhol), a double-headed folk drum played with sticks. Its beat drives bhangra and almost every Punjabi celebration.

What is kirtan in Punjabi?

ਕੀਰਤਨ (kirtan) is the devotional singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, performed in gurdwaras and homes, usually with harmonium and tabla.