Tusu Dance- A Brief Entertainment For The Deity

Bengal is a land known for its rich cultural heritage and festivities. Almost all the regions of this colorful state have a certain folk music and dance hitched to them. It is interesting to note that all of these folk traditions are actually related to certain specific festival and is performed during that festive season only. Such is the tale of Tusu Dance. Owing its existence to Birbhum district, this particular dance is performed during the Bengali month of Pous which according to the Georgian calendar happens to be from December 15^th to January 15^th. Tusu dance in particular is related to Tusu Parab which is celebrated here on Makar Sankranti i.e. the last day of Pous.

Women folk entertain goddess tusu with their dance and songs throughout the season…

Tusu dance is performed by the women folk here on the arrival of the pleasant and auspicious harvest season. Girls in group from the villages here go to the river each evening throughout the month of Pous where they enjoy themselves by singing and dancing together. On the eve of Makar Sankranti, together at the riverside they gather for worshipping the idol of Tusu Goddess which they made particularly from pure cow-dung and clay. It is said that though both married and unmarried women take part in the festival, it is the unmarried women folk who entertain the deity through their dance and song seeking good groom.

Analyzing the rituals of Tusu dance

The melodious tusu song with girls grooving to the beats enhance the festive ambience. Dances are also performed by men and are known as “Bhaduriya salia.” According to the tusu dance rituals, while women move in anti-clockwise direction, men are supposed to move in the clockwise direction. This dance however needs to be particularly performed by men and women who are unmarried. In certain places, it is necessary to be carried out by a girl who is still virgin. Before commencing their performance, it is must for all the dancers to go to the river and have a ceremonial bath. However the most enticing part of this dance is that though the dance will be followed by melodious songs but no musical instrument will accompany the songs.