Wanvun or Wanwun (literally: "chorus") is a style of singing and dancing used by Kashmiri Pandits before certain Hindu rituals such as Yagnopavit (thread ceremony) and marriages, in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It can also be used to describe a music session at which traditional songs are sung. A similar dance, drawing significant influence from Wanvun, is performed by Kashmiri Muslims and is called Rauf.[1]
"Wanwun" is sung on a fixed beat, with a spoken word type rhythm. The tune is always the same, but depending on which event it is sung at, the pitch varies. The women singing use alliteration, emphasis, metaphor, and simile to tell stories through song.In the 1980s, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations expressed concern that as modern marriages were using songs from movies, there were less old people singing the traditional wanvun.[2] In some places, wanvun is sung to celebrate the end of Ramadan.[3]