Thabal Chongba Folk Dance, Manipur
Thabal Chongba happens to be one of the most famous folk dances of the Indian State of Manipur. The dance is also known as ‘dancing by moonlight’. The festival of Yaoshang is commemorated with this folk dance of Thabal Chongba. There is one very amusing fact about this Thabal Chongba dance and it is that the traditional Kangleicha parents do not allow their daughter to go out and talk to boys. The dance-cum-fest is the sole reason that allows the girls belonging to that community to go out and not only talk to them but also dance with them. Amazing, Right? In the days of yore, the dance used to be performed in moonlight accompanied by some rhythmic songs based on the religious customs and beliefs. The folks of Manipur perform the dance for five days. No sooner did the moon start rising over the hills than the merry makers get ready with all their musical instruments like cymbals, flute and drums, and a lot more.
The boys and the girls get intertwined with each other through their hands and with splendid pomp and show their dance to the times of the music played by the men.
In case there are some extra people from a certain locality, in that case, some more circles can be formed so that everyone could participate and enjoy as well. There is no rigidity about the maximum and minimum number of people. It all depends on the number of people that a particular locality house.