The word 'dong' is derived from the word don ie. jump. So
dong dance is performed by jumping only. It is a very much laborious dance. It
is held only in happy occasions like marriage and birthday where everybody
becomes mad out of joy. Even old man and woman dance hand in hand with jumping
.During marriage ceremony like duarbapla, the dance becomes so competitive
between the bride and bridegroom party that it continues for days together
without stop.
Donq dance follows
certain rules and regulations
1. It is performed only in happy occasion like marriage and
birth day.ln other occasion even festive occasion, it is forbidden.
2. Unmarried young boys and girls can dance hand in hand
freely, but with married lady, it is forbidden.
3. Dharam Akhra is not the only place for this dance, it can
be held in open space owned by the family concerned.
4. As it is a very laborious and hard dance there is a
periodical interval for half an hour or so . During this period, young boys in
a group sing the dong song with jumping in front of the young girls standing
nearby. The girls also repeat the song in same manner. In the dancing field
there are atleast ten groups of young boys and girls are seen singing the songs
of different tunes with different kinds of jump, which creates a colorful scene
in the field.
5. Dong dance is a dance of masses where not less than
hundred (note necessary) male and female take part. The number of drums is also
more proportionatly. Minimum one pair of Tumdah ( Madal ), one pair of
Chadchadi and one pair of Tamak ( Nagara ) is used in the dance. During the
marriage between two big villages, the number of participants becomes not less
than five hundred and so also the number of drums. The sound becomes so high
and wide that no birds can take rest in the village. The weightage of marriage
is measured, in case of Santals from the number of days that birds are unable
to take rest.
DONG SONG
Seday tahen Kana jugdo tahen Kana
Gadia Sula leka hariyal
Jharna mundudah leka rilamala
Nahak seter ena Kulikal jug
Newao nipsage sahar en
Hinsa suyage sarel ena
Meaning: - There was a time when era was as green as the
grass of the pond as clear as the water of fine spring. Now is a era of Kalijug
Quantum of quarel has become many fold and the violence beyond limit.
Other traditional dance forms of santals.