The Hindu community in Lanzarote celebrated the night of Dandiya and Garba, two folk dances from the Indian state of Gujarat this Sunday on the island. Both dances originate to honor the goddess Durga and also in the Navrati festivals.
Generally this dance is carried out forming a circle, which symbolizes the conception of life as a continuous cycle. Modern Garba is heavily influenced by Dandiya and it is very common for the two dances to be performed together, both use colorful costumes and accessories.
This event was held at the Deva Mandir Lanzarote, on José Francés street in Tahíche in the municipality of Teguise. Also with a dinner included. This space brings together families annually, ranging in age from 5 to 90 years old, to dance traditional live music, with the typical Guajarat dress.
Garba and Dandiya Raas dances are also popular in the United States, where more than 20 universities have Raas/Garba competitions. In addition, the Canadian city of Toronto currently hosts the largest annual Garba in North America by number of attendees.
This folk dance is also very popular in the United Kingdom, where there are several Gujarati communities that celebrate their own Garba nights and are very popular among this Indian community around the world.
The Hindu Community of Lanzarote was registered on the island as Clubdialanz in 2005, but people from this community arrived in the Canary Archipelago more than 60 years ago. In addition, on November 4, all the congregations of this religion will meet in Ceuta on the 75th anniversary of the community in the autonomous city.
