The Hora
October 16, 2006
All Jews know there is a dance called the Hora. So, also, do all Romanians.
When I first came to Romania and found out that they also have a circle dance called the Hora I was totally surprised. How interesting that Romanians and Jews both have a circle dance — danced almost exactly the same — called the Hora. Obviously they were related but which came first?
Talking about it with a Romanian friend we ended up arguing. I was sure the Hora was first a Jewish dance — I mean didn’t Sarah lead the Jews in a Hora when they passed unharmed through the Red Sea? So it must have been ours first and the Romanians were influenced by the Jews living in Romania.
Gheorghe said it was Romania’s dance first. That Romanians had been dancing the Hora for hundreds of years, before there were Jews living in Romania.
I never went any further with looking it up until recently when my mother remarked that the dictionary’s definition of the Hora also refers to it as a Jewish and Romanian dance. So a few days ago I decided to do an Internet search to see what I could find. Mostly what I found were how to dance the Hora sites, or just definitions referring to it as a circle dance found in Israel and Romania.
However, according to Wikipedia, the dance did in fact originate in Romania and the Romanian Jews brought it to Israel with them. As with all Wikipedia entries, I don’t know where they got their information from, so I don’t really know if its true or not. If it is, that means the Hora has only been danced as a Jewish dance (at bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, etc.) for about 50 or 60 years. It doesn’t seem possible to me but then I’m only 34, so how would I know what Jews were dancing at their weddings 80 or 100 years ago?
So for now I guess my head must accept that the Hora originated in Romania, even if my heart still believes otherwise. If anybody knows more about the origin of the Hora, I’d love to hear it!
February 20, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Hora in fact is not something unique in Romania. You will find it in former Yugoslavia space, Bulgaria and probable other spaces.
It is thought by specialists that Hora (the circular dance) was a ritualistic dance related to Geea or maybe other god.
There are evidences from the time of the Thracian civilization found in the area. Small clay figurines put in a circular form with the hands in the same position as for hora. Here there is a site that will give you more info (with sources and years) http://www.angelfire.com/folk/hora/
Alin
February 11, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Really? You know, that’s funny, because I’m Jewish, and I did Romania as a project in sixth grade. I was just looking some stuff up on it, becsause I was bored, and here I am, finding this. Cool.
August 19, 2008 at 7:53 am
Since I’ve been here in Iasi, I’ve heard many complaints about “all of the Gypsies and Jews” in the country. I’m a Jew by birth, but not religion and when faced with anti-semitism for the first time, I actually feel kind of proud of being an American and a Jew. Thanks for the info on the hora, I’ll be sure to mention at the next party.
And my favorite phrase here is not Romanian, it’s Romani.. “Na bister 500,000″ (Remember the 500,00)