Why are the Balkan Slavs the only Europeans to dance in a circle at celebrations?

[rashka]

SERBIA
Video 1

http://youtu.be/ylp73le6Muo

Video 2

http://youtu.be/PywR4F9mvvw

Video 3

http://youtu.be/qMEMAg7hmow

Video 4

http://youtu.be/n9y6TJlWlM4

[ChocolateFace]

Albanians dance in circles, Greeks dance in Circles,Romanians dance in circles, I'm pretty sure Hungarians dance in circles along with other ethnicity's.

There is a good chance Balkan Slavs picked this tradition up from Albanians since we have been doing it before you guys migrated here.

[Stefan_Dusan]

Albanians dance in circles, Greeks dance in Circles, I'm pretty sure Hungarians dance in circles.

There is a good chance Balkan Slavs picked this tradition up from Albanians since we have been doing it before you guys migrated here.

Even Russians dance in circles. Have you ever been to one of their weddings?

It's very unlikely Serbians picked up anything from Albanians as you were hidden in the mountains until the Ottoman invasions. More likely all Balkan people practiced similar customs which Slavs were absorbed into when they come.

[Scholarios]

Don't South Italians ( not to mention Greeks, Albanians, Jews) also dance in circles.

[Stefan_Dusan]

Don't South Italians ( not to mention Greeks, Albanians, Jews) also dance in circles.

Even Chechens, Ossetians, Persians dance in circles. My guess it's holdover from Pagan times.

Circle = cycle or Equality depending on context.

[Dombra]

Every one used to dance in circles. It just fell out of fashion but is something that has remained in certain countries

[ChocolateFace]

Even Russians dance in circles. Have you ever been to one of their weddings?

It's very unlikely Serbians picked up anything from Albanians as you were hidden in the mountains until the Ottoman invasions. More likely all Balkan people practiced similar customs which Slavs were absorbed into when they come.

I was going by the logic presented by Rashka since she said that Balkan Slavs were the only Europeans to dance in circles. And if that was the case then they must have picked up this tradition later.

[Mortimer]

everyone Dances in circles even austrians. it is called reigen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55fPZwIVE9E

[Stefan_Dusan]

I was going by the logic presented by Rashka since she said that Balkan Slavs were the only Europeans to dance in circles. And if that was the case then they must have picked up this tradition later.

When slavs came to the Balkans they absorbed the original Balkan populations. Why would they get Balkan traditions from Albanian clans instead of the Balkan clans they absorbed?

[Pontios]

Pontians dance in circles as well! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ehun5b1YT8

Some dances are also in lines if there's not many people but they still dance in circles. :)

Few dances have leaders.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ez94iXtWMw

[ChocolateFace]

When slavs came to the Balkans they absorbed the original Balkan populations. Why would they get Balkan traditions from Albanian clans instead of the Balkan clans they absorbed?

Because the clans they mixed with were the forefathers of Albanians.

[Scholarios]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5a8mkJbB3MA/T5hFiAUqsbI/AAAAAAAAAho/l0lVdHkwkhU/s1600/DancingAroundtheMayPoleWoodcut.png
Elizabethan maypole dance.

http://www.mikedust.com/fascinatum/2003-images/fasc-0719-square-terms-1.jpg

American square dance (itself a holdover from Scotch-Irish tradition)


http://www.bluelyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/6-Vlach-dance-in-Greece.jpg

Vlach dance in Northern Greece

http://www.face-music.ch/Bilder/weddingdance.jpg

Armenian wedding dance (not Europe, I know)

[Stefan_Dusan]

Because the clans they mixed with were the forefathers of Albanians.

You must be joking to label all the various Balkan clans scattered across the peninsula proto-Albanians.

[ChocolateFace]

You must be joking to label all the various Balkan clans scattered across the peninsula proto-Albanians.

I believe they were all related to each other and later branched off into the so called different groups.

[rashka]

Even Chechens, Ossetians, Persians dance in circles. My guess it's holdover from Pagan times.

Circle = cycle or Equality depending on context.
I haven't seen them dancing in circles. They have a different type of dance which always has a girl walking around the floor with her hands stretched out and a male is following not too far.
Like these:

http://youtu.be/nMXhBmKn_QU

http://youtu.be/bSUpWbe-MfA

[rashka]

Because the clans they mixed with were the forefathers of Albanians.
Albanian dances look like they came from the Caucasus - just observe their movements. I am serious here.

[Stefan_Dusan]

I haven't seen them dancing in circles. They have a different type of dance which always has a girl walking around the floor with her hands stretched out and a male is following not too far.
Like these:


It's called Zikr for Chechens. Don't know the name for the rest but I've seen such dancing.

[ChocolateFace]

Albanian dances look like they came from the Caucasus - just observe their movements. I am serious here.

Just give it up Rashka

[Pontios]

Traditional Ossetian dance Simd. Circles as well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDCIO-SE7CY

[Pontios]

Georgian dance, also danced in circles. Many of the dances in the Caucasus are often in circles.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1jVKYNROg

[Vojnik]

The circle dance is derived from old pagan rituals. It is not only performed by Balkan Slavs.

Hers one from Macedonia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh659vJ0i0c

[Methmatician]

Many Europeans have a circle dance. I know for certain Poles have one, but they run around in a circle.

[liamliam]

I'm pretty sure Scandinavians do this too. They call it 'ringdance' and they dance around trees singing folk songs, usually at the start of summer or at christmas.