Latvian cross dancing.
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@ValeOfShadows looks kinda celtic!
Well once upon a time the Celts inhabited a lot of land in Europe.
SaṁainGoat
It is celtic.
That's way too far north for celts though, even during the migration period. The nearest tribe with possible celtic origins were the Lugii, but they were a few hundred km south.
I think this type of dance could just be way way more ancient than I thought. Possibly back to the early bronze age. Back then the aryan cross (equal arms, usually inside a circle) represented the sun and the four seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-0Y6h52TNc
That's way too far north for celts though, even during the migration period. The nearest tribe with possible celtic origins were the Lugii, but they were a few hundred km south.
I think this type of dance could just be way way more ancient than I thought. Possibly back to the early bronze age. Back then the aryan cross (equal arms, usually inside a circle) represented the sun and the four seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-0Y6h52TNc
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@Eiregoat @HatkeshiatorTND @ValeOfShadows
I've thought for a long time that many folk dances (notwithstanding those with elaborate costumes) probably originated as a form of military training, and evolved to place more emphasis on symbolic and entertainment aspects during peace time. Even if the martial aspect is no longer obvious they serve as a great form of crypto-military exercise because they train for general agility and physical fitness, while also promoting group bonds and a sense of shared identity and culture worth protecting.
I've thought for a long time that many folk dances (notwithstanding those with elaborate costumes) probably originated as a form of military training, and evolved to place more emphasis on symbolic and entertainment aspects during peace time. Even if the martial aspect is no longer obvious they serve as a great form of crypto-military exercise because they train for general agility and physical fitness, while also promoting group bonds and a sense of shared identity and culture worth protecting.
There certainly were folk dances that originated as military training. The spartans and gemanic tribes were recorded as having them as a way to build unit cohesion.
That said, I think it's too broad an activity to pin down to one purpose. It also serves the social function of advertising fitness and coordination to potential mates, along with another bunch of uses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_JmoUZbQU
That said, I think it's too broad an activity to pin down to one purpose. It also serves the social function of advertising fitness and coordination to potential mates, along with another bunch of uses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_JmoUZbQU
@Eiregoat @HatkeshiatorTND @ValeOfShadows
Definitely. And many of those categories aren't mutually exclusive either. Another class of dance would be animal dances, which are often associated with Shamanism (in the broad sense). Quintessentially those seem to originate as a way of teaching youth about the behaviour and characteristic patterns that hunters should be aware of when tracking the animals, usually cloaked in a veneer of mythology (e.g. Plains indians, numerouss Amazonian tribes, etc). Another class is related to vegetation, where the pageantry conveys knowledge about vegetative cycles and crop management practices (e.g. Mayan and Pueblo corn dances). The ritual hunting dances lend themselves to be adapted to military application because they frequently involve weapons, and instead of teaching how to track and hunt a given animal, may instead summon the characteristics of that animal as it pertains to warfare (eg. lions, bears, wolves, etc) and hunting other human groups. Anyway, I don't mean that it's always got a military basis, but I think in many cases the military training evolved into forms of folk dance during peace time, and in some cases entirely shed any memory of it's original purpose. The dances that still involve weapons are easier to trace back, but in a lot of cases just the fancy footwork and acrobatics are enough to provide a clue of the origin.
Definitely. And many of those categories aren't mutually exclusive either. Another class of dance would be animal dances, which are often associated with Shamanism (in the broad sense). Quintessentially those seem to originate as a way of teaching youth about the behaviour and characteristic patterns that hunters should be aware of when tracking the animals, usually cloaked in a veneer of mythology (e.g. Plains indians, numerouss Amazonian tribes, etc). Another class is related to vegetation, where the pageantry conveys knowledge about vegetative cycles and crop management practices (e.g. Mayan and Pueblo corn dances). The ritual hunting dances lend themselves to be adapted to military application because they frequently involve weapons, and instead of teaching how to track and hunt a given animal, may instead summon the characteristics of that animal as it pertains to warfare (eg. lions, bears, wolves, etc) and hunting other human groups. Anyway, I don't mean that it's always got a military basis, but I think in many cases the military training evolved into forms of folk dance during peace time, and in some cases entirely shed any memory of it's original purpose. The dances that still involve weapons are easier to trace back, but in a lot of cases just the fancy footwork and acrobatics are enough to provide a clue of the origin.