Folk dance and folk songs in Sikkim lie at the root of the cultural heritage at Sikkim. In Sikkim, folk songs belong to the inherent socio-cultural pattern of the Sikkimese society.
Folk songs at Sikkim permeates all the aspects of the life in Sikkim. Folk songs, an integral part of the music of Sikkim, marks the different occasion in Sikkim, such as birth, marriage, rituals and rites, social gathering, etc. In fact, the Sikkimese society is characterized by distinct songs for the different occasions at Sikkim.
Moreover, the folk songs in Sikkim chiefly deal with the folklore and folk tales. The folk songs of Sikkim corresponds with the mythology and divine occurrences in Sikkim. Most of the folk songs at Sikkim also deal with the lyrical poems that sings the praise of the cultural heritage of Sikkim.
Furthermore, according to the reckoning of the International Folk Songs Council, the Sikkim folk songs follows an oral tradition. The folk songs of Sikkim seems to have passed down from one generation to other. The Council strives on various reasons for the survival of the folk songs in Sikkim. An estimate of these reasons that elucidate the existence of the folk songs in the socio-cultural scenario of Sikkim is as follows:
- Folk songs, especially the folk traditions, seems to be a link between the present and the past,
- The folk songs facilitates the interaction between the cultural heritage of Sikkim and the people housed within the territory, etc.
