Thracians

[Mingle]

Some comments from another thread on an ancient Thracian dance (that still lives on today):

The most common name for these traditions is Rusalii.
These ancient traditions are common for the south-eastern part of Republic of Macedonia, namely the region around Gevgeli but before the split of the region Macedonia or before 1912, these traditions were present in Enidze Vardar or today's Giannica, Kukus or Kilkis all in Greece now.
The Rusalii traditions of Macedonians are similar to the Romanian Căluş.
The custom happens between Christmas and 12th Night, with bands of 20 to 60 young men who form the rusalski družini.
In common with the Căluş, no one is allowed to go among them except those who wished to be healed, and the Meglo-Aroumanian version includes a mute dressed in fancy dress.
The Eska(performed by people around Voden, now Edessa and Kostur, now Kastoria in Greece) have one part of group masked, carrying wooden swords, and the other wear large bells and have their faces blacked, this combination of two distinct groups can also be found in Austria.
The Bulgarians also have Rusalii and these tradition can be found mainly in Northern Bulgaria.

These dances have footprints from the old Hellenistic or Roman pagan times and can be connected to some ancient people that lived in Macedonia by those times, Peaonians, Macedonians???
Some speculate that the name Rusalii derives from the Roman Rosalia festival of the Romanised Thracians, which has its routes in the ceremonies of the ancient Thracians.
Term Rosalia occurs in old Bulgarian manuscripts where it is loosely applied to kukeri dances and other rites, all condemned by the medieval church.
The earliest documentary reference is by Demetrios Cromatianos (Archbishp of Ohrid) recorded in the 13th century.
It's worth mentioning that some Slavic people like Russians also have dances called Rusalii but these are quite different than those played in Macedonia as these are performed by women, samodivas, wearing masks of animals.

The Aroumainian Alungucearii or Aruguciari dances take place after Lent, and these have now spread to Dobrogea (Romania) due to the recent population exchanges.

One could speculate the Arnăuţi of Moldavia could be derived from the customs around Macedonia. In Romanian Arnăuţi means Albanian or mercenary, and the dance includes a feature of dances in columns with striking of swords in stylised battle which can be seen in the performances of Rusalii but is not found elsewhere in Romania. Could this be the remnant left behind by some displaced southern Balkan peoples?

Every 'druzina' has 20 - 60 young boys or men around the ages of 20 - 40, that form pairs.
The 'druzina' forms a chain called horo or oro and is lead by one pair of men from whom the first man is called 'Prot' or 'Baltadzia' from the Turkis word 'Baltia' for Axe because he carries an axe with which he waves during the dance and this waving is performed against evil magic and to defend his 'druzina' or his vaillage. This performance is also considered to have a healing actions

The participants of the band wear skirts called 'Fustanella' and carry one sword each except for the first man who carries an axe.
Rusalii from Koinsko, a village near Gevgeli, where I have ancestry from:




On the first day of Christmas after the church bell rings, the participants start to gather and to form the 'druzina' and after formation they start their journey to the place where the dance will take place.
If by chance on their journey other 'druzina' crosses their road, this is considered as a disrespect and very often there were fights between them and many times resulting with dead combatants.

Macedonian Rusalian dance:




The people from this region have old believes that near the town of Gumendze or Goumenissa in Greek, there is a hidden treasure from the time of Alexander the Great that lies buried somewhere beneath the village of Gorgopik or Gorgopi, near Gumendze.
Gumendze, where I also have some ancestry from, was/is known by the quality wine produced in/around the town.

Another instrumental Macedonian Rusallia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C4%83lu%C8%99ari

https://www.romaniajournal.ro/rusali...superstitions/

its a thraco-roman dance, thracian because it is thracian in origin, and roman because it was assimilated during roman period

Xenophon ( Anabasis, VI,I 5-6) describes the ancient Thracian dance of the swords as such:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sImsZJ7cX0o

same in Bulgaria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k6mD82WWRw

[Aspar]

You can at least quote that "another" thread because it's exclusively made about the Rusalii dances in Macedonia who are practiced by modern Macedonians.
Because without that "another" thread you wouldn't even know about Rusalii.

[Mingle]

You can at least quote that "another" thread because it's exclusively made about the Rusalii dances in Macedonia who are practiced by modern Macedonians.
Because without that "another" thread you wouldn't even know about Rusalii.

When you click on the blue arrow at the top, it links directly to IS's post in the thread. But I'll add a hyperlink to the first page if it makes a difference. Also, I added your post above.