Hora (the circle dance)

The hora is the oldest and most widespread Romanian folk dance, the circle dance through which the community gathers together at celebrations, weddings and patron saint's days. Women and men take each other by the hand in a wide circle, moving rhythmically, with steps to the right and to the left, in a continuous turning that symbolises the unity, equality and solidarity of the village. No great celebration of the community can be imagined without a hora.

Origin and meaning

The name „horă” is linked by researchers to an old Mediterranean root (Gr. „choros” — circle dance), and the circular form of the dance has an archaic value, found among many peoples. By its very essence, the hora abolishes hierarchies: in the circle no one is either first or last, and the joining of hands expresses belonging to the same community. This is why the hora became, in time, a powerful symbol of national identity, going beyond the status of a simple dance to become a metaphor of union.

How it is danced, and variants

The basic steps involve diagonal movement forward and backward, accompanied by rhythmic stamping, the circle turning slowly to the rhythm of the music. Alongside the hora, in Moldovan villages people also dance the sârba — a fast dance, in binary rhythm, usually danced in a circle or a semicircle — as well as the bătuta, the brâu or the învârtita. At a wedding, the hora takes on particular names: „hora miresei” (the bride's hora), danced before departure for the church wedding, or „de trei ori pe după masă” (three times around the table), a ritual in which the young couple bow and circle the table.

The present

The hora remains alive in the Republic of Moldova: it is danced at weddings, christening feasts, patron saint's days and folklore festivals, being ever-present in the repertoire of folk dance ensembles and learned from childhood. It opens and closes the great communal celebrations, and „Hora Unirii” (The Hora of the Union), on verses by Vasile Alecsandri, has acquired a particular political and emotional significance, being sung and danced at the important moments of national history. The hora is also ever-present in the performances of the great state ensembles and in international folklore festivals, where the vividly coloured costumes and the unified step of the dance impress audiences. Thus, beyond the dance step, the hora continues to hold people together, as it has done for centuries, reaffirming each time the bond between the individual and the community.