Birds on a Branch: <i>Girlfriends and Wedding Songs in Kangra</i>

Abstract

Friendship is a recurrent theme in women's wedding songs of Kangra,&#13;\na valley at the base of the Himalayas in northwest India. Unmarried&#13;\ngirlfriends are bonded through the performance of these&#13;\nsongs and are celebrated in the texts. This essay addresses the intersection&#13;\nof friendship, a folklore genre, and a life cycle transition&#13;\nfor women in Kangra. Centering my discussion around images of&#13;\nfriends in suhāg wedding songs, I will focus on the following questions:&#13;\nWhy is friendship culturally acknowledged only when women&#13;\nare unmarried? Why is this genre associated with unmarried girlfriends&#13;\nboth in song and lived experience, although women of all&#13;\nages sing suhāg? Finally, when individuals pass through disorienting&#13;\nlife cycle transitions, how might friends and folklore genres surrounding&#13;\nsuch passages serve to ease it?