Halay

File:Mugham Festival 2008.jpg

Azerbaijani dancers performing Halay during Mugham Festival in Shaki, Azerbaijan.

Halay (Template:Lang-tr, Assyrian: Khigga ܚܓܐ, Greek: Χαλάϊ, Kurdish: Gowend / Dîlan, Azerbaijan:Yalli) is a popular dance in the Middle East.

Halay is traditionally played on the zurna, supported by a davul, but in the recent years, electronic instruments have started to replace them. Typically, Halay dancers form a circle or a line, while holding each other with the little finger or shoulder to shoulder or even hand to hand with the last and first player holding a piece of cloth — usually called "mendil" (from Turkish). It is a national dance in Turkey and Armenia.

The initial form of which dates back to so many centuries long when it was held around a ceremony bonfire, having the meaning of hot, light and meal. The word “yal” means row, line of chain. The yalli dancers stand in one line or two rows and sometimes in some rows.

The yalli becoming traditional form existed in two forms; dancing and play yalli, but from time to time it was promoted and was enriched with new shades and as a result of which accepted new motions and reached our time.

The homeland of some kinds of yalli out of 100 is the ancient land Nakhchivan which is the inseperable part of Azerbaijan. The yalli forms considered our national heritage are follows: “Tanzara”, “Folk yalli”, “Gopu”, “Gazi-gazi”, “Hoynara”, “Sharur yalli”, “Four feet”, “Urfani”, “Arazi”, “Siyagutu”, “Khalafi”, “Ganimo”, “Nareyi”, “Galadan galaya”, “Three feet”, “Three steps”, “Kochdu balaban”, “Gulumeyi”, “Haghishda”, “Zari-zari” and others.

Halay in weddings

In many Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Assyrian, Kurdish, Syriac, Turkmen, Arabic, Persian, Albanian and Greek weddings, people dance Halay for hours. Every region has its own style and forms.

External links

• Derik Saçın Örmezler
• Hele yâr zalim yâr
• Huseyin Turan - Agri Dagindan Uctum and Karanfil Deste Gider
• Akdağmadeni halay
• Feza Neverd Original Turkish instrumental music recordings..