A traditional oro in the Republic of Macedonia
Hora is a type of circle dance originating in the Balkans but now found in a number of countries, most of which use slightly different spellings. The name is cognate to the Greek ????? : 'dance' which is cognate with the ancient Greek art form of ???e?a; see Chorea. The original meaning of the Greek word ????? may have been 'circle'.
The Greek ????? is cognate with Bulgarian 'horo', Serbian 'kolo', Macedonian 'oro', the Turkish form 'hora' and Romanian 'hora' (having its roots in Iron Age; this gave later the Yiddish and Modern Hebrew 'horah'.
Hora in Romania and Moldova
Hora (pl. hore) is a traditional Romanian folk dance that gathers everyone into a big closed circle. The dancers hold each other's hands and the circle spins, usually clockwise, 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 cymbalum, accordion, violin, viola, double bass, saxophone, trumpet or even the panflute.
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 Manakia brothers in Pindus, Greece and performed by local Aromanians.
Variants:
Horo in 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 and not just two or three steps forward and one step back. The horo may vary between three to seven or eight steps forward and one to five or six steps back depending on the specific type.
There are more than five types of horo that are usually danced at every wedding. 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 the 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 Montenegro
A similar dance, the Oro (Cyrillic: Opo), is popular in Montenegro. It starts with participants dancing in circles to a gusle, and ends with dancers standing on other dancers' shoulders and a toast from the head of the household. People consider it to be an "eagle-dance" (in Montenegrin vernaculars usual pronunciation for Serbian orao "eagle" is oro). That's why oro is considered the dance of the brave ones and danced only by men. But Dalmatians have the slight different version (mostly serbs). They have a silent oro, just dance, no instruments or vocals, just ojha.
Oro in the Republic of Macedonia
In the Republic of Macedonia they use the Cyrillic spelling of "oro" as well (Cyrillic: Opo). They have many diverse oros, some of which famous not only for socializing and celebrating events, but also oros which originate from dancing before going to battle. "TESHKOTO", translated "The Hard One", is one of those, danced by men only, and the music of which reflects the sorrow and mood of such occasions. Oros in Macedonia very closely reflect through the melody, lyrics and movements the hardship that the Macedonian people have endured throughout history. The folklore dance was their biggest outlet under the many rules and occupations, and this circle dance is what united them, uplifted their spirits and connected them with their often denied cultural and ancestors' identity. Dancing the oros gave them a sense of undeniable existence and thus personal pride. Today they are used to celebrate present happy occasions, such as weddings, christenings, name-days, national and religious holidays, graduations, birthdays.
Gypsy oro
The Oro is also popular among the Roma people of Eastern Europe, and the dancing is practically the same as the one of the neighbouring ethnicities. Gypsy oros, and Romani music in general, are very well apreciated among non gypsies in the Balkans and Romania.
The Hora in Klezmer music
The Hora in klezmer music is the same as the traditional Romanian dance. It has a slow, limping gait in 3/8 time and often leads into a faster and more upbeat freyklakh or bulgar.[1]
Jewish/Israeli Horah
A different dance, also called the Horah, is the most popular of Jewish folk dances and played a foundational role in modern Israeli folk dancing. It is usually performed to Jewish or Israeli folk songs, typically to the music of Hava Nagila.
To start the dance, everybody forms a circle, holding hands, and steps forward toward the right with the left foot, then follows with the right foot. The left foot is then brought back, followed by the right foot. This is done while holding hands and circling together in a fast and cheerful motion to the right. Large groups allow for the creation of several concentric circles.
In the early days, Horah was popular mainly in the Kibbutzim and small communities. Later it became a must in group dances throughout Israel, and at weddings and other celebrations by Jews in Israel, the United States and Canada. The dance appeared in North America in the early 20th century, well before modern Israeli independence, brought directly from Eastern Europe by Jewish immigrants.
At bar and bat mitzvahs, it is custom to raise the honoree and his or her family members on a chair during the horah. This is also done at many Jewish weddings.
See also
References
External links
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