Thursday, February 22, 2007

Căluşari/Ηorsemen/Καβαλάρηδες



Căluş is a male dance of southern Romania(Oltenia/Wallachia Minor).Etymologically all these variants can be traced back to the Romanian word cal (horse), which in turn derived from the Latin caballus. The tradition is also played by the Vlachs (Aromanians) of Serbia and Bulgaria, and hence was introduced into the folklore of Bulgaria under the same name, spelled "Kalushar"/"Kalushari".(The video is from Serbia)(more)

the ritual probably derived from ancient purification and fertility rites using the symbol of the horse, which was worshipped as an embodiment of the sun. The ritual’s name derives from the Căluş, the wooden part of the horse’s bridle.
According to tradition, groups of dancing and chanting Căluşari, who were thought to be endowed with magical healing powers, went from house to house, promising good health and prosperity to villagers.

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