Dancing Fever!

I love dancing! We’re out until after 11 every night and it’s going to keep getting later every night as the festival progresses. All the late nights make for some difficult school mornings but it’s totally worth it! Tonight will be the fourth night of Diwali. 

Each night, we’ve dressed up and saris or lehenga, lots of jewelry, and do our hair. I wear borrowed clothes from my host family. Unfortunately, I have to wear the same top every night because it’s the only one of theirs that fits my chest. Indian women, in general tend to be smaller busted.

A little after 8:30, the ceremony opens with chanting, singing and prayers in front of the idol and shrine set up on a little stage. The actual praying starts hours before the dancing, we can hear it amplified on speakers from our house. 
To open the ceremony, everyone takes turns doing pooja which is taking this plate of candles, incense, and other things and moving it in a circle in front of the idol (I feel like I’m not explaining it well, it’s difficult without the correct terms). Then, after announcements we dance. 
People of all ages come to watch and participate. 

Each night we do several of the choreographed dances. There is also best dancer of the night and best dresser contests. Last night, I won the best dancer award. I think, mostly because I’m a foreigner and they are really excited to have someone who wants to learn the traditional dances from them, and they were just being nice. Some little kids also do pop dances as solos or in pairs that they have put together themselves. They’re pretty good and really fun to watch. 

Saturday was my friend’s birthday. She’s one of the best dancers in the group and is also has assisted in teaching and putting together all the dances we do. She was really dressed up and preformed an incredible solo dance. Some of the older women waved money over her head as a blessing. One of them was this one really old woman who comes to every practice and night, she’s really sweet. She danced a little with the birthday girl. On birthdays, it’s customary to shake hands with the person whose birthday it is rather than give them a hug or something (I’ve noticed that hugging is not as common as at home.) Shaking hand is very common, usually as a congratulations. 

My favorite part of the night always comes at the very end when we have open garba and everyone dances in smaller groups and comes up with steps as they go. My friends help me follow their moves. It’s difficult because I’ve never even really seen some of these dances while these girls have grown up watching and dancing them. It's still a lot of fun, even though we're all very tired by the end of the night, the energy is very high. Last night, some of the boys (mostly middle school aged) decided to copy the girls moves, during open garba (it was very entertaining.) 
This festival has been beneficial in so many ways for me. Not only have a learned some traditional dances, but it's all been in Hindi which was helped my language comprehension a lot (many of the women don't speak much English either), I have gotten to know the women and other girls in the neighborhood and made some friends. Plus, it's lots of fun and I always sleep well at night!

      Anyone who even slightly enjoys dancing would love this festival, I wish it lasted longer than just nine days!