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Dhuliya and Bhawariya
Generally accompanying bhawuas, i.e. theatrical performances of the type
of miracle plays of Europe in the middle ages.
These dances verging on
acrobatics are performed to tunes of vigorous music provided with drums
and cymbals. Masks are sometimes used.
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Deodhani
This dance form is associated with the worship of the
snake goddess Manasa. A Deodhani girl, in a trance like inspired state,
goes on dancing to the accompaniment of Kham (drum) and Ciphung (flute)
propitiating many a deity beginning with
Siva and ending with Lakshmi,
she at one stage takes a sword and a shield and performs a virile war-dance.\
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Zikirs
Zikirs are songs sung by Assamese Muslims to the
accompaniment of dancing in circles and clapping of hands.
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Mohauhau or Mahkheda
It is also considered as a festival. In Kamrup district
on a full moon night in Nov-Dec, boys in groups go from house to house
and sing and dance, striking the ground with bamboo sticks and taking
leaps and turns. The ceremony is believed to be helpful in driving away
mosquitoes.
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Apsara-Sabah
This is a ceremony in which the nymphs of the air are
invoked during calamities and lean times, women with flowing hair dance
in circles. The rhythm is provided by striking bamboo sticks on conch-shells
or bangles.
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