If it came up on your feed, you probably watched it twice.
Videos of the Kumbar, a traditional folk dance from Hazara Division in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been popping up all over Instagram and TikTok lately, pulling in millions of views and comments from people asking the same question: what is this, and why does it feel so joyful?
Well, the interesting thing is, this is not a new trend. The Kumbar is a deeply rooted part of Hazarewal culture, performed at weddings, festivals, and community celebrations across the eight districts of Hazara Division, which include Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, and others. What is new is the reach. A dance that once played out in wedding halls and village grounds in northern Pakistan is now landing on the feeds of people in the UK, the US, and the Gulf.
These videos of the Kumbar dance have got foreigners asking: is this new or traditional? What is it called? And most importantly, can anyone teach them the steps?
What Is the Kumbar Dance From Hazara, Pakistan?
The Kumbar is a group folk dance performed to the beats of the dhol and shehnai, traditional instruments that form the backbone of Hazarewal music. Dancers form circles, moving together with synchronized footwork and coordinated hand movements, their energy building as the tempo rises. Men and women both participate, dressed in traditional attire, and the mood is almost always festive.
The dance comes from Hindko-speaking communities of the Hazara region, which sits in the northeastern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hazara Division has its own distinct cultural identity, separate from the Pashtun-majority parts of KPK, with Hindko as its primary language rather than Pashto. The Kumbar is one of the clearest expressions of that identity.
At the Hazara Culture Day celebration held in January 2025, the Kumbar was front and center. Former KPK Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani described Hazara culture as rooted in centuries of tradition, with dance, music, and language all carrying the history of the region forward.
Why the Hazara Kumbar Dance Is All Over Your Feed Right Now
If it came up on your feed, you probably watched it twice.
The circular formation, the synchronized footwork, the dhol getting louder as the tempo climbs, it is the kind of video you do not scroll past. Pakistani diaspora communities in the UK, Australia, and North America have been posting their own versions at weddings and cultural events, and the algorithm keeps finding new audiences who had no idea Hazara Division existed until thirty seconds ago. Now they are tagging friends, leaving comments asking what this dance is called, and in some cases, clearly attempting the footwork off-camera.
For anyone curious about Pakistan beyond its more exported cultural touchstones, the Kumbar is a reminder that the country’s folk traditions run deep and wide. Hazara Division alone has its own language, its own cuisine, its own dances, and its own identity, all of it centuries old and very much alive.
Stay tuned for more entertainment!
