Attan

Attan (Pashto: اتڼ‎) is a form of dance that originated in the Pashtun regions of eastern Afghanistan and Northwest Pakistan. Attan began as a folk dance conducted by Pashtuns in times of war or during weddings or other celebrations (engagements, new year, and informal gatherings). It is now considered the national dance of Afghanistan.

The performance of attan dance in the open air has long been customary in the Pashtun culture. Attan is a special type of dance performed by a troupe of 50 to 100 dancers who wave red scarves in the air while musicians beat drums. This dance is common among the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the ruling elite promoted it as the national dance of Afghanistan. It is also performed as a regional dance in khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas region of Pakistan

Attan is a traditional Pashtun dance. It is said to be one of the oldest forms of Pashtun pagan dance. Some identify attan as a religious ceremony of early Zoroastrians placing its origins as early as 2000 BCE, while others have placed even older going back to King Yama's celebration of Nowroz and warriors dancing and circling around the fire. It is usually performed with a Dhol, which is a double-headed barrel drum. The dance can be anywhere from 5 minute to 30 minutes long. There are many different regional variations of attan, the most famous being Mahsudi, Kabuli, Paktiyaya, Shenwari, Kandahari, Sistani, Herati, Pashayi, and Nuristani. During King Yama's time, attan was performed before going to a war because it used to give the army the confidence that they could win the battle. Attan is the national dance of Afghanistan and also a very popular dance in Pakistan's North-Western regions (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and parts of upper Balochistan) and has spread and become a part of festivals, weddings, and other forms of celebrations, and has its origins from Pashtun areas.

To the accompaniment of drums and pipes the dancers form a circle, taking each other by the hand or preparing to revolve in circles of their own. The dance starts with slow steps that gradually get faster and faster until it seems the performers must drop from exhaustion. However, the dance continues, sometimes for two or three hours at a stretch, with no breaks except a lowering of tempo or changes in the tunes and songs.

...
Wikipedia