Attan

How the dance goes

Musicians play drums and pipes, above all the Dohol, a double-headed barrel drum, and dancers gather in a circle, taking hands or turning in rings of their own. The steps begin slowly and gather speed. On the beat, hands that were held outside the circle come in to clap; as the pace climbs, one clap becomes two, and surer dancers add spins and turns. Arms reach into the air, legs stretch and extend. A good dancer keeps the circle and lands each clap on the beat; everything else is personal. Some versions run five to thirty minutes; others continue for two or three hours, pausing only when the tempo drops or the tune changes.

Old roots and war

Most scholars trace Attan to Zoroastrian ceremonies held nearly 3,000 years ago. In one story from Zoroastrian folklore, King Yama, a figure of Iranic mythology, danced an Attan with his warriors to mark Nawroz, the new year; in those tellings the dance came before battle, to fill an army with the certainty that it would win. Some writers instead link the dance to Ancient Greece and see a cousin in the Pyrrhic war dance of Alexander's era. In more recent memory, Attan was danced in the days of the British occupation and during the Pashtun resistance movement, to put heart into warriors getting ready to face the colonisers.

Dress and mirrors

Performers like to look their best. Women wear bright, colourful dresses, often the traditional Firaq partug, and at a wedding or gathering a woman will commonly change into a dress kept just for Attan while the men stay in what they arrived in, which on formal days can mean suits and ties. Many dresses are sewn with tiny mirrors, said to stand for light, which flash as the wearer turns. Men may tie a turban, called Lungee or Patkya, that shows which tribe they come from and is worn with pride. In some versions, men flick long, jet black hair in circles as they spin.

One dance, many styles

Every region and tribe shapes the dance its own way, and the drum beater, known as the Dum, can change rhythm in an instant to follow the dancers. Famous styles include the Kabuli, Wardaki, Logari, Paktia, Khosti, Kandahari and Herati. Wardaki dancers use handkerchiefs and no clapping, leaning on turns, twists and greased hair that gives weight to each spin; Logari dancers are known for shyness, spins and rhythmic pauses. The Paktiawal and Khostai styles of the Zadran and Mangal tribes run five to seven steps, with heads snapped left and right so long hair flies. Among the Khattak tribesmen of Pakistan, dancers circle with swords, and Mehsud men in Waziristan fire guns into the air while kneeling. Themes vary too: some styles recall war, others celebrate.

Who dances now

Attan stands today as Afghanistan's national dance, and Afghans who are not Pashtun have taken it up alongside the Pashtuns of Pakistan. Closely related ring dances survive in Iran, in the provinces of Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchestan, where people call them Chapi or Torbati. Attan was traditionally danced with men and women kept apart, and musicians and singers were mostly men in the past. From the 1970s, mixed dancing spread among educated and urban middle- and upper-class families, and the Daoud Khan and Communist regimes encouraged young men and women to join such public activities together.

How Attan is kept

Musicians take up the Dohol drum, and dancers form a circle, hand in hand or each ready to spin on the spot. The music starts slowly and gathers speed. On each beat the dancers clap inside the circle, hands having first swung outside it. As the tempo rises a single clap grows into two, and the more practised add turns of their own while keeping the ring. The Dum, the drum beater, may shift the rhythm to match the dancers. The dance runs on, sometimes for hours, eased only by a slower tempo or a change of tune and song.

When and where

There is no fixed date. Attan fills weddings, engagements and informal gatherings whenever they fall. Some styles attach to particular moments: the Kochai style of Kuchi women is danced at childbirth, at Nawroz, the new year, and at the coming of spring, and some styles serve as a prelude to spring itself. In old tellings, warriors danced it before going to war.

The dance belongs first to the Pashtuns, in Afghanistan and in Pashtun areas of Pakistan. It is counted Afghanistan's national dance and is kept by other Afghan ethnic groups as well. In Pakistan it lives on among tribes such as the Khattak and the Mehsud of Waziristan. Related circle dances are found in the Iranian provinces of Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchestan.

What Attan means

To the people who dance it, Attan carries several meanings at once. The tiny mirrors on women's dresses are said to stand for light. A man's turban, Lungee or Patkya, proclaims his tribe and is worn as a mark of standing. Some styles tell of war, others of celebration, and the dance has long been a way to lift the spirits of a group before hardship, from armies of legend to fighters under occupation. Danced before spring, it also welcomes the season in.

Questions people ask about Attan

See also

DhrupadThe foundational vocal and instrumental classical music tradition of northern IndiaNowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsHoliA spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.Postpartum confinementA period of rest, nourishment, and seclusion for mothers after giving birth.

Good reading and sources

• Remembering a Waziristan where men and women once danced togetherDawn, Article
• Remembering a Waziristan where men and women once danced togetherDawn, Article

• Attan on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.