by Feroz Khan

Every country has a culture or a traditional activity which appears in their  lifestyle which includes celebration of events, clothing, dance, etc. Similarly, our country, Afghanistan, is also popular for its exceptional tradition and the way of its people’s life. The attan is one of our traditional activities and it is eagerly done by Afghans.

Photo Courtesy of sar-kelandi / Daniel

Attan is a kind of group-dance which has been common in Afghanistan for centuries. As it is loved by all the people of Afghanistan, it is called the national dance of Afghans. People of all ages try to learn the attan and are interested to take part in it. The attan is done in wedding parties, Eid, Independence Day, and on other special occasions.

For the attan, we need to have a group of people who perform it well. Plus, we should have enough space and music, usually a drummer with a big drum. The group of people make a circle and the drummer stands inside the circle and starts playing the drum. One person from the group stands ahead of all and directs the other members of the group. As the first person moves forward around the circle and turns according to the drum’s sound, the others follow him with the same movement at the same time.

The attan has fans in all parts of Afghanistan and is done in three different methods that are very similar to each other. It has become more popular than before and Afghans from inside and outside of Afghanistan do it cheerfully during their special events. Each attan dance may last for 20 minutes up to one hour. Sometimes it depends on the energy of the group, which means, unless the group becomes fully tired, they keep on dancing.

Besides attan, we afghans have some other traditional activities that should be followed and loved. To follow our own tradition is to keep our identity alive. Every part of our culture is a portion of our identity.

Photo by Ali Kazemi

However, some of our people, especially most of the youths, are now a day over interested in western and Indian cultures. Our TVs are the centers of foreign cultures’ exhibition and it does not have any place for our own culture.  The western and Indian movies have directly influenced some of our youths and children and have changed their lifestyles, and have taken them away from their own culture. Some of our youths are adopting western and Indian cultures which are very against our religion and our society.  In fact, we should follow the way others love their culture, because we have a beautiful culture of our own which shows our uniqueness. I hope our people, as soon as possible, stop adopting foreign cultures and follow their own tradition with love.

Tags | Afghan Dance, Attan, Dance