Geet-Gawai (
: ) also called Geet Gawai is a pre-wedding ceremony of
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri (;[Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries](_blank)
, Oxford U ...
speaking people of Indian descent in
Mauritius. In 2016, this ritual was added to the
UNESCO's
Intangible Cultural Heritage List
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.
This pre-wedding ceremony is a combination of certain traditional rituals, prayers to the gods and the goddesses, songs, music and dance. The ceremony may be done at the residence of the bride or the groom, and is carried out by female family members and neighbours. This ceremony represents collective cultural memory. By breaking barriers of caste and class, it contributes to the building of smooth and cohesive community identity. Presently, Geet-Gawai has come out of the confines of being a family function, and public performances also take place. Now-a-days, apart from women, men are also participating in these events.
References
Culture of Mauritius
Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Indian diaspora in Mauritius
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