Muslim Traditional Dance at Weddings, Oppana

The word -Oppana’ is supposed to be derived from Arabic word -Afna’. Oppana is a form of festival dance pertaining to Muslim community of Kerala. It is a dance performed before the wedding of a bride in Muslim homes. This practice is sill followed with much importance in the Malappuram district of Kerala. Thre are two kinds of Oppana which are Oppana Chayal, and Oppana Murukkam. The difference between these two art forms is very small when the dance is performed with claps by the dancers it is told as Oppana Murukkam while Oppana Chayal focuses on the beginning and ending of the dance without claps. In India, Oppana as an art form is basically taken to Kerala from the Tamilnadu. In Tamilnadu, this art form is called after -Oppanai pattu’ which is known after the make-up done for the bride before her wedding. The make-up is performed with young girls dancing around the bride, and one or more women applying the make-up on the bride. This practice was originally performed in Tamilnadu in the very past. However, now, this art form is not in practice in Tamilnadu when it got completely transferred to Kerala. In Kerala, the art form is known after the name- Oppana pattu. This art form is much relevant in the Muslim families as without it a wedding would not take place even. Usually, the relatives and close friends of the wedding bride often young girls are the performers of the very art form. Before the wedding take place this group slowly dresses up the bride to resemble her to an angel in gaudy costumes with glitters and stuff all over. The girl often goes shy upon this function. Nevertheless, after dressing the bride up, the Oppana beauties shows her way to the make-up chamber where she will be made up in to a damsel. Post the making up, the bride is taken to a -peettha’ or the chair or bride. The bride sits on the chair and rests her beauty behind a -thattan’ or the pardha. The dancers slowly start their moves by clapping hands in line with the rhythm of the music they sing. This piece of event in the Muslim functions seen across Kerala can be considered as the Epithalamion. Continuing till the song ends, the dancers involve in their art completely. There will be relatives and whole lot of crowd watching this unique piece of art. At times, blushed in the shyness the bride smiles but often she does not lift up her head to view the people watching her. As the Muslim community has their custom as brides should be worth a complete woman for the groom, they do practice this kind of beautiful customary practices. Unlike the weddings of other communities of Kerala, the Muslim community always focuses on affluence in the wedding hall. However, this practice of Oppana is also performed in the groom’s house as well. Though not always does it happen, in some families across the Malappuram area of Kerala it does happen. Before leaving to the bride’s place for the wedding function, at the groom’s house a group of relative boys perform this art form same as that in the bride’s place where the wedding happens. Oppana pattu is thus a matter of grandeur at Muslim homes across Kerala and this marks the element of dedication of the performers as well.