Eastern Thrace

Ανατολική Θράκη

Historical homeland

13 dances · 35 from the archive

Anastenaria Αναστενάρια The anastenarides dance individually, circling the fire and then crossing the coals, holding icons.
Zervos Ζερβός Open circle, hands joined, moving to the left.
Zonaradikos Ζωναράδικος 6/8 · Open circle holding each other's belts, men in front and women behind. Towards the end the leader winds the line into a spiral.
Kallinitikos Καλλινίτικος Groups of three: a man between two women, or a woman between two men.

This region gathers the dances of the Greeks of Eastern Thrace, now in Turkey, and of Northern Thrace or Eastern Rumelia, now in Bulgaria. Their music, with gaida, lyra, violin and daouli, is close to that of the rest of Thrace, and the dances are fast and lively, such as the tsestos, the zervos and the sfarlis. After the Balkan Wars and the population exchange, refugees settled mainly in Greek Thrace and Macedonia, where their descendants keep the dances and customs such as the Anastenaria alive. The hasapiko also comes from Constantinople.

Eastern Thrace

From here

Also danced here

From the archive 35

Sources