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{{Short description|Form of circle dance originating in Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkans}}
{{Other uses|Hora (disambiguation){{!}}Hora|Horo (disambiguation){{!}}Horo|Oro (disambiguation){{!}}Oro}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}
[[Image:Tanec folk ensemble Macedonia 1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A traditional oro playing in [[North Macedonia]]]]

'''Oro''', also known as '''horo''' and '''hora''', is a type of [[circle dance]] traditionally performed in [[Southeast Europe]]. Circle dances with similar names are found in [[Bulgaria]], [[Romania]], [[Moldova]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]], and among [[Minority group|ethnic minorities]] such as the [[Ashkenazi Jews]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Alpert |first1=Michael |title=Hora (LKT) |url=https://www.jewish-music.huji.ac.il/content/hora-lkt |website=Jewish Music Research Center |publisher=National Library of Israel |access-date=15 April 2021}}</ref> ([[Yiddish]]: האָרע ''hore''), [[Sephardic Jews]] ([[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]]: הורו ''horo'') and the [[Romani people|Roma]].

==Etymology==
The name, spelled differently in various countries, is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|el|χορός}} (''[[Choros (dance)|khorós]]''): "dance",<ref>{{Cite web|title=What a long horo dance!|url=https://bnr.bg/en/post/100150354/what-a-long-horo-dance|access-date=2021-03-08|website=bnr.bg|language=en}}</ref> which is [[cognate]] with the [[Ancient Greek]] art form of {{lang|grc|χορεία}} (''[[Choreia|khoreía]]''). The original meaning of the Greek word {{lang|grc|χορός}} may have been "circle".<ref>{{Cite web|title=χορός|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%87%CE%BF%CF%81%CF%8C%CF%82|access-date=2021-03-08|website=en.wiktionary.org|language=en}}</ref>

Also, the words ''hora'' and ''oro'' are found in many [[Slavic languages]] and have the meaning of "round (dance)"; the verb ''oriti'' means "to speak, sound, sing" and previously meant "to celebrate".

The [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|χορός}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|[[Khoros (dance)|khorós]]}}) is cognate with [[Pontic Greek]] {{lang|pnt|χορόν}} ({{lang|pnt-Latn|[[Horon (dance)|khorón]]}}), and has also given rise to the names of [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] {{lang|bg|хоро}} ({{lang|bg-Latn|horo}}), [[Macedonian Language|Macedonian]] {{lang|mk|оро}} ({{lang|mk-Latn|oro}}), [[Romanian language|Romanian]] {{lang|ro|horă}}, the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] form {{lang|tr|hora}} and in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{lang|he|הורה|rtl=yes}} ({{lang|he-Latn|horah}}). The {{lang|ka-Latn|[[Khorumi]]}} dance of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] also might be connected to the [[Horon (dance)|Horon]] dance in the neighboring Turkish regions, as it rose out of the [[Adjara]] region, where [[Kartvelian languages|Kartvelian]] [[Laz people]] co-existed for centuries with Greek [[Pontians]].

==Variants==
=== Romania and Moldova ===
[[File:Stamp of Moldova md423.jpg|thumb|left]] 
[[Image:Hora din Dealul Spirei, 1857.jpg|thumb|300px|Dancing the hora on [[Dealul Spirii]] (Spirii Hill), [[Bucharest]] (1857 lithograph)]]
'''Horă''' (plural: hore) is a traditional [[Romanians|Romanian]] and [[Moldovans|Moldovan]] folk dance where the dancers hold each other's hands and the circle spins, usually counterclockwise, as each participant follows a sequence of three steps forward and one step back. The dance is usually accompanied by musical instruments such as the [[cymbalom]], [[accordion]], [[violin]], [[viola]], [[double bass]], [[saxophone]], [[trumpet]] or the [[pan pipes]].

The hora is popular during wedding celebrations and festivals, and is an essential part of the social entertainment in rural areas. One of the most famous hore is the "''[[Hora Unirii]]''" ("Hora of the Union"), which became a Romanian patriotic song as a result of being the hymn when [[Wallachia]] and [[Moldavia]] [[Unification of Moldavia and Wallachia|united]] to form the [[Principality of Romania]] in 1859. During the 2006/2007 New Year's Eve celebration, when [[Romania]] and [[Bulgaria]] joined the [[European Union]], people were dancing ''Hora Bucuriei'' ("Hora of Joy") over the boulevards of [[Bucharest]] as a tribute to the EU anthem, [[Ode to Joy]] ({{langx|ro|Odă bucuriei}}). Some of the biggest hora circles can be found on early 20th century movies filmed by the [[Yanaki and Milton Manaki|Manaki brothers]] in [[Pindus]], Greece, and performed by local [[Aromanians]].

=== Horo in Bulgaria ===
[[File:Jan Mrkvička-Shopsko horo.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Shopi|Shop]] ''horo'' of Bulgaria]]

The traditional [[Bulgarian dances|Bulgarian dance]] '''''[[Kolo (dance)|horo]]''''' ({{langx|bg|хоро}}) comes in many shapes. It is not necessary to be in a circle; a curving line of people is also acceptable. The steps used in a horo dance are extremely diverse. The horo may vary between three and seven or eight steps forward and one to five or six steps back, depending on the specific type.

In Bulgaria, each region has their own type of horo. They differ by the rhythm of the music and the steps taken. There are no two horo dances with similar steps. There are probably over one hundred types of horo dances in the [[Bulgarian folklore]].{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

In the past, the horo dance had a social role in Bulgarian society. It was mainly for fun, as a contest of skills, or for show, leading to the development of the variety of horo dances. There are hora for people with little skill that can be learned in five to ten minutes, but there are also very sophisticated dances that cannot be learned unless one is fluent in many of the simpler dances.

=== Oro in North Macedonia ===
[[File:Prilep-fête 1919.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Women in [[Prilep]], playing oro, beginning of the 20th century]]

[[North Macedonia]] uses the [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] spelling of '''''oro'''''. The origins of the word oro vary from its use in socializing and celebrating to historical dancing before going into battle. ''Teshkoto'', translated as "The difficult one", is one of those, danced by men only, the music of which reflects the sorrow and mood of war. The oro is danced in a circle, with men and women holding one another by hand. They are used to celebrate occasions such as weddings, christenings, name-days, national and religious holidays, graduations, and birthdays.

=== Roma horo ===
The '''horo''' is also popular among the [[Romani people|Roma]] of [[Southeastern Europe]], and the dancing is practically the same as that of the neighboring ethnicities. Roma Horos, and [[Romani music|Roma music]] in general, are very much appreciated among the non-Roma in the [[Balkans]], as they also have a reputation as skillful performers of other people's folk music.

=== Jewish horah ===
{{JewishMusic}}

==== Klezmer horah ====
In [[klezmer]] music, the horah refers to a circle dance. The horah has a slow, limping gait in triple meter, often three/eight time ([[3/8 time|{{music|time|3|8}}]]), and generally leads into a faster and more upbeat duple meter, usually a  [[Klezmer#Song types|freylekh]] or a [[Klezmer#Song types|bulgar]]. Among Yiddish-speaking Jews, the triple-meter horah has also been called ''zhok'' (Romanian ''joc'', 'dance') or ''krumer tants'' (Yiddish: 'crooked dance').<ref name=":0" />

==== Israeli horah ====
The '''horah''' (הורה), which differs somewhat from that of some of the Eastern European countries, is widespread in the [[Jewish diaspora]] and played a foundational role in modern [[Israeli folk dancing]]. It became the symbol of the reconstruction of the country by the socialistic-agricultural Zionist movement.<ref name=":1" /> Although horah was [[Acculturation|culturally adopted]] from Southeast Europe, it became even more popular with the Jewish diaspora due to the Hora Agadati dance. In 1924, the dancer and choreographer [[Baruch Agadati]] choreographed a dance based on the Romanian '''Hora dance''' that became known as "Hora Agadati".<ref>[http://forward.com/articles/12226/hora-history-/ 'Hora' History]</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sernovitz |first=Gary |date=2012-06-29 |title=I Do Not Want To Dance the Hora |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/06/hora-and-my-jewish-wedding-forget-tradition-i-will-not-dance.html |access-date= |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>  It was performed by the [[Ohel Theater|Ohel Workers' Theatre]], which toured pioneer settlements in the [[Jezreel Valley]]. According to [[Gurit Kadman]], the original melody was a [[Moldavia|Moldavian]] folk tune (Baruch Agadati was born in the [[Bessarabia Governorate]]) and Gurit asked  [[Uriya Boskovitz]] to write a new one. About the same time [[Ze’ev Havatselet]] wrote lyrics to the tune<ref>[http://www.israelidances.com/horaagadati.asp "Hora Agadati"], israelidances.com</ref> (found, e.g., in the [[Library of Congress]]<ref>[https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchCode=LCCN&searchArg=2018571206&searchType=1&permalink=y "Shire Zeʼev Ḥavatselet - The songs of Zeev Havatselet"]</ref>). Now the dance is usually performed to [[Music of Israel#Musical characteristics of the Israeli style|Israeli folk songs]], and sometimes to Jewish songs, often to the music of "[[Hava Nagila]]".

To start the dance, everybody forms a circle, holding hands or interlocking arms behind their backs or on their shoulders,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web | url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0009_0_09187.html |title = Horah}}</ref> and steps forward toward the left with the right foot, then follows with the left foot. The right foot is then brought back, followed by the left foot. This is done while holding hands and circling together in a fast and cheerful motion to the left. Large groups allow for the creation of several [[concentric]] circles, or a large spiral formation.

In the early days, horah was popular mainly in [[kibbutz]]im and small communities, often continuing for hours.<ref>[http://forward.com/articles/12226/hora-history-/ Hora history]</ref>

The horah became popular in group dances throughout [[Israel]], and at weddings and other celebrations by Jews in Israel, the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], and [[Canada]]. The dance appeared in North America in the early 20th century, well before the modern creation of the state of Israel, brought directly from Eastern Europe by Jewish immigrants.

At Jewish weddings during the horah it is customary to raise the bride and groom, each on their own chair and holding a handkerchief between them, following Jewish tradition. This is also done at [[Bar and bat mitzvah|b'nai mitzvah]], where the honoree and sometimes his or her family members are also raised on a chair, copying the wedding tradition.

The song "[[Hora (song)|Hora]]", sung by [[Avi Toledano]], who represented Israel in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1982]], is based on this dance.

===Other variants===

==== Horon in Turkey ====
[[Horon (dance)|Horon]] in several variants is danced in [[Black Sea Region]] / [[Pontus (region)|Pontos]] of modern-day [[Turkey]].<!--copied from [[Horon]] lede-->{{cn|date=April 2022}}

==== Oro in Montenegro ====
The '''oro''' ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|оро}}) circle dance should not be confused with the [[Montenegrin Oro]] dance of [[Montenegro]] and [[Herzegovina]], which is a paired courtship dance. Its name comes from the [[Serbian language|Serbian]] ''оrао'', meaning "eagle".

====Perinița====
{{Main|Perinița}}
Perinița is a traditional Romanian wedding folk dance. The dance is typical in the [[Muntenia]] region.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |date=9 April 2016 |title="Perinita" – the Romanian traditional love dance |url=https://www.imperialtransilvania.com/read-more/argomenti/traditions/articolo/perinita-the-romanian-traditional-love-dance.html |access-date=10 September 2021 |website=ImperialTransilvania |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= |date=3 December 2018 |title=Perinita (L*) – Romanian version of a Pan-European Party/Wedding Dance |url=https://folkdancefootnotes.org/dance/a-real-folk-dance-what-is-it/about/perinita-another-romanian-wedding-dance/ |access-date=10 September 2021 |website=Folkdance Footnotes |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Adana (dance)]], a Macedonian oro
* [[Circle dance]]
* [[Horae]]
* [[Khorovod]], an Eastern European circle dance
* [[Kolo (dance)]], Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian circle dance
* {{ill|Kola (dance)|ru|Кола (танец)}}, Belarusian circle dance
* [[Perinița]], Romanian circle dance
* [[Syrtos]]
* [[Tresenica]], a Macedonian oro performed by women

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Circle dance}}
{{Balkan music}}

[[Category:Circle dances]]
[[Category:European folk dances]]
[[Category:Romanian folk dances]]
[[Category:Moldovan folk dances]]
[[Category:Greek dances]]
[[Category:Macedonian dances]]
[[Category:Klezmer]]
[[Category:Dance in Israel]]
[[Category:Slavic carnival]]
[[Category:Bulgarian dances]]