mask dance. Gaudiya Nritya is a classical Bengali school
of Indian dance,originating in Gaur, West Bengal, the an-
cient capital of the Bengal region. Various forms of Indian
classical dances are patronised, as are dances set on the
songs of Tagore and Nazrul. The people of West Bengal,
in the first day of Bengali new year or Poyela Boishakh or-
ganises a rally known as Mongal Shobhajatra with a view
to resist and fight against all sorts of evils of the world in
order to welcome the goodwill of the masses.
Masks and
masks dance
Mask or Mukhosh of West Bengal, as it
known has a mysterious history is a true
culture of Bengal. Mostly it uses for the
Mask Dance, the folk dance of West
Bengal. The wearing of these
masks is connected with early
types of folklore and religion.
There is various type of masks
made up of clay, wood, sponge
wood or shola, pith, paper, met-
al etc. Generally, half masks are
made up of clay, pith and paper
and wooden masks are very rare.
Some of the masks came from
the Tribal of West Bengal. Geo-
graphically, West Bengal comes
well within this mask using culture
zone. Mask in West Bengal is
mostly used in folk dance. UN-
ESCO selected The Rural Craft
Hub of Bengal to showcase their
artwork in Paris in 2015.
Attire
Though Bengali women tradi-
tionally wear the sari and shalwar
kameez, Western attire has gained
acceptance among younger and
professional women. Western-style
dress has greater acceptance
among men, although the tradi-
48
| APRIL 2018
tional costumes like dhoti, panjabi, kurta, sherwani, py-
jama and lungi are seen during weddings and major
festivals. Like any other metropolis, Kolkata also has an
eclectic mix of western wears with a tinge of ethnic wears.
People are found dressed in jeans along with kurtas, or
sari along with an overcoat.
Festivals and Celebrations
West Bengal is famous for its culture and festivals are an
inevitable part of this culture. People of different religions
and communities perform their religious rituals with
festivities. Some festivals are celebrated statewide, while
others are local in nature. There are also various other
village fairs and seasonal tribal festivals. Durga
Puja is the biggest and most important
festival of West Bengal, and it features
colourful pandals, decorative idols of
Hindu goddess Durga and her family,
lighting decoration and immersion
processions. Other major festivals
are Kali Puja, Diwali, Holi, Sar-
aswati Puja, Jagaddhatri
Puja, Rath Jatra, Kojagori
Lakshmi Puja, Vishwakar-
ma Puja, Poush Parbon, Poila
Boishakh, Eid, Muharram, Christ-
mas etc. Kolkata Book Fair, Kol-
kata International Film Fes-
tival and Dover Lane Music
Festival are major annual
cultural events of Kolkata,
whereas Poush Mela, Ganga
Sagar Mela, Jhapan are some
of the major annual fairs of
the state. The diverse ethnic
populace of Darjeeling
Himalayan hill region
celebrates several local
festivals such as
Losar, Dusshera or
Fulpati, Tihar, Ram Na-
vami, Maghe Sankran-
ti, Chotrul Duchen, Bud-
dha Jayanti, Tendong
Lho Rumfaat etc.