Friendship is a recurrent theme in women's wedding songs of Kangra, \na valley at the base of the Himalayas in northwest India. Unmarried \ngirlfriends are bonded through the performance of these \nsongs and are celebrated in the texts. This essay addresses the intersection \nof friendship, a folklore genre, and a life cycle transition \nfor women in Kangra. Centering my discussion around images of \nfriends in suhāg wedding songs, I will focus on the following questions: \nWhy is friendship culturally acknowledged only when women \nare unmarried? Why is this genre associated with unmarried girlfriends \nboth in song and lived experience, although women of all \nages sing suhāg? Finally, when individuals pass through disorienting \nlife cycle transitions, how might friends and folklore genres surrounding \nsuch passages serve to ease it?
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