Chhau Dance is performed in Bengal to celebrate the sun festival. The colorful masks that are used by the Dancers during the performance have a unique artistic appeal. Themes of Chhau Dance are based on two historical Indian epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Performance— the general structure of Chhau Dance in Bengal comprises of a group of men some of whom enact the divine characters while some others play the role of demonic figures. The Dance primarily depicts the dynamic victory of the good spirits over the evil ones. Chhau Dance demands an open area for dance, generally village grounds, where the Dancers can freely make movements with their limbs. Chhau Dancers generally wear bright shades of clothes like that of green, red, yellow and black. Men who play the role of Gods use red, green and yellow colors, while those who enact the devils’ part wear black costumes.