Romania and Moldova (Spirii Hill),
Bucharest (1857 lithograph)
Horă (plural: hore) is a traditional
Romanian and
Moldovan folk dance where the dancers hold each other's hands and the circle spins, usually counterclockwise, as each participant follows a sequence of three steps forward and one step back. The dance is usually accompanied by musical instruments such as the
cymbalom,
accordion,
violin,
viola,
double bass,
saxophone,
trumpet or the
pan pipes. The hora is popular during wedding celebrations and festivals, and is an essential part of the social entertainment in rural areas. One of the most famous hore is the "
Hora Unirii" ("Hora of the Union"), which became a Romanian patriotic song as a result of being the hymn when
Wallachia and
Moldavia united to form the
Principality of Romania in 1859. During the 2006/2007 New Year's Eve celebration, when
Romania and
Bulgaria joined the
European Union, people were dancing
Hora Bucuriei ("Hora of Joy") over the boulevards of
Bucharest as a tribute to the EU anthem,
Ode to Joy (). Some of the biggest hora circles can be found on early 20th century movies filmed by the
Manaki brothers in
Pindus, Greece, and performed by local
Aromanians.
Horo in Bulgaria horo of Bulgaria The traditional
Bulgarian dance horo () comes in many shapes. It is not necessary to be in a circle; a curving line of people is also acceptable. The steps used in a horo dance are extremely diverse. The horo may vary between three and seven or eight steps forward and one to five or six steps back, depending on the specific type. In Bulgaria, each region has their own type of horo. They differ by the rhythm of the music and the steps taken. There are no two horo dances with similar steps. There are probably over one hundred types of horo dances in the
Bulgarian folklore. In the past, the horo dance had a social role in Bulgarian society. It was mainly for fun, as a contest of skills, or for show, leading to the development of the variety of horo dances. There are hora for people with little skill that can be learned in five to ten minutes, but there are also very sophisticated dances that cannot be learned unless one is fluent in many of the simpler dances.
Oro in North Macedonia , playing oro, beginning of the 20th century
North Macedonia uses the
Cyrillic spelling of
oro. The origins of the word oro vary from its use in socializing and celebrating to historical dancing before going into battle.
Teshkoto, translated as "The difficult one", is one of those, danced by men only, the music of which reflects the sorrow and mood of war. The oro is danced in a circle, with men and women holding one another by hand. They are used to celebrate occasions such as weddings, christenings, name-days, national and religious holidays, graduations, and birthdays.
Roma horo The
horo is also popular among the
Roma of
Southeastern Europe, and the dancing is practically the same as that of the neighboring ethnicities. Roma Horos, and
Roma music in general, are very much appreciated among the non-Roma in the
Balkans, as they also have a reputation as skillful performers of other people's folk music.
Jewish horah Klezmer horah In
klezmer music, the horah refers to a circle dance. The horah has a slow, limping gait in triple meter, often three/eight time (3/8 time|), and generally leads into a faster and more upbeat duple meter, usually a
freylekh or a
bulgar. Among Yiddish-speaking Jews, the triple-meter horah has also been called
zhok (Romanian
joc, 'dance') or
krumer tants (Yiddish: 'crooked dance'). It was performed by the
Ohel Workers' Theatre, which toured pioneer settlements in the
Jezreel Valley. According to
Gurit Kadman, the original melody was a
Moldavian folk tune (Baruch Agadati was born in the
Bessarabia Governorate) and Gurit asked
Uriya Boskovitz to write a new one. About the same time
Ze’ev Havatselet wrote lyrics to the tune (found, e.g., in the
Library of Congress). Now the dance is usually performed to
Israeli folk songs, and sometimes to Jewish songs, often to the music of "
Hava Nagila". To start the dance, everybody forms a circle, holding hands or interlocking arms behind their backs or on their shoulders, and steps forward toward the left with the right foot, then follows with the left foot. The right foot is then brought back, followed by the left foot. This is done while holding hands and circling together in a fast and cheerful motion to the left. Large groups allow for the creation of several
concentric circles, or a large spiral formation. In the early days, horah was popular mainly in
kibbutzim and small communities, often continuing for hours. The horah became popular in group dances throughout
Israel, and at weddings and other celebrations by Jews in Israel, the
United States,
United Kingdom, and
Canada. The dance appeared in North America in the early 20th century, well before the modern creation of the state of Israel, brought directly from Eastern Europe by Jewish immigrants. At Jewish weddings during the horah it is customary to raise the bride and groom, each on their own chair and holding a handkerchief between them, following Jewish tradition. This is also done at
b'nai mitzvah, where the honoree and sometimes his or her family members are also raised on a chair, copying the wedding tradition. The song "
Hora", sung by
Avi Toledano, who represented Israel in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1982, is based on this dance.
Other variants Horon in Turkey Horon in several variants is danced in
Black Sea Region /
Pontos of modern-day
Turkey.
Oro in Montenegro The
oro () circle dance should not be confused with the
Montenegrin Oro dance of
Montenegro and
Herzegovina, which is a paired courtship dance. Its name comes from the
Serbian оrао, meaning "eagle".
Perinița Perinița is a traditional Romanian wedding folk dance. The dance is typical in the
Muntenia region. == See also ==