The Indian harvest festival of Vaisakhi was celebrated at a Maple Ridge elementary school with a display of bhangra dancing.
Nine students at Fairview Elementary got up in front of the school last week and demonstrated the dance – some dancing it for the first time – while teaching the students gathered for the assembly about the holiday celebrated April 13 or 14, depending on the solar calendar.
“Vaisakhi is a harvesting spring celebration,” explained Grade 3 student Keerath Narwal.
“At home we celebrate by eating roti at night time or we sometimes do a dance,” continued Manjot Dulay, a Grade 6 student at the school.
“And we do some fireworks probably,” added Narwal, almost overtop.
The students were excited to show off their culture, explained English Language Learner teacher Harjit Chauhan.
Similar to Thanksgiving, Chauhan noted, Vaisakhi is a time to enjoy the season’s long harvest and celebrate with family and community by visiting the gurdwara or Sikh temple, and joining a community parade – the largest locally can be found in Surrey or Vancouver.
All celebrations have energetic bhangra dancing, continued Chauhan. The traditional folk dance originated from farmers in Punjab, India centuries ago when they celebrated the end of the winter harvest, and welcomed in the the spring. It was during these times that people would play the dhol - a two-sided Indian drum that is played with sticks.
“Today, people still play the dhol at celebrations or they enjoy it in the music. The dance has become a common way to express joy during social events. There are many variations to bhangra, and it represents the appreciation for the land,” said Chauhan.
Families who have come from India and now live in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows, often come from a farming background and they want to continue sharing their culture through dance and food.
Dulay’s family owns a farm in Pitt Meadows and in India, he said.
And because the students are so keen, Chauhan, and two of her colleagues – Kawaldeep Ghuman, an ELL teacher at Harry Hooge Elementary, and Sukhdeep Birdi at Albion Elementary – will be releasing an informative video featuring students at each of the schools explaining the Vaisakhi celebration.
This will be the third video release for the teachers.
They started by making a video about Dhwali during the COVID-19 pandemic and one about Ramadan soon after that. All the videos are student led with 10 students from Fairview participating in this atest one, three from Harry Hooge, and four students from Albion Elementary.
“Last year, our two videos about Diwali and Ramadan were well received by our student families and school community,” said Chauhan.
Then, when her students saw her dancing in the Diwali video, they excitedly wanted to share their own personal connections.
“When asked if they wanted to show the school the traditional dance, they were happy to give up their two recess blocks to practice. I am so grateful to these motivated students that are proud to show their culture and educate their peers,” added the ELL teacher.
For the dance, done to the Punjabi folk song Chak de Dholia, the boys were wearing a loose tunic top and loose pants known as the kurta pajama, an outfit that can be worn with a vest. The girls were wearing either a Punjabi suit called aneka, a lehenga or a top and skirt, or a gharara or a long top and flared pants. To complete the outfits, the girls wore a chunni, or a long fabric that is often draped on the shoulder.
“These traditional clothes allow for easier movement when bhangra dancing. Some of the boys also covered their heads with turbans, which were tied by their family. The turban is a part of the five articles of the Sikh faith, and specifically blue and orange are connected to Sikh history,” explained Chauhan, noting that April is also Sikh Heritage Month.
Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.