The Trata ( el, Τράτα) is a traditional commemorative dance performed every two years in
Megara in
Attica
Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...
, but also in the
Aegean Islands.
The ''Trata'' in the Aegean Islands refers to a Syrtos dance done to the song Η τράτα μας η κουρελού. The dance is done at all social functions and gatherings. On the Island of Ikaria (North East Aegean) they dance it with specific movements in the chorus.
On the Tuesday following
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
in every alternate year, the women of Megara take part the traditional dance known as the ''Trata'' on the open space before the tiny
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
known as Saint John the Dancer. It is popularly believed to commemorate the building of this
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
during a single day during the years of Ottoman Greece.
The trata symbolizes the fishing.
The famous dance, the Trata, is said to celebrate their success of fishing, each day.
However,
folklorists
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
note that the movements of this dance, which mimic the hauling in of fishing nets, seem to indicate that it is probably a very ancient dance, much older than the Ottoman period, and was originally performed to ensure success of the fishermen.
[Megas (1982), p. 111.]
See also
*
Greek music
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in the Byzantine period and Gree ...
*
Greek dances
Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region forme ...
*
Greek folk music
Greek traditional music (Greek: παραδοσιακή μουσική, "traditional music"; also δημοτικά τραγούδια, "folk songs") includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the Uni ...
*
Nisiotika
Nisiotika ( el, νησιώτικα, meaning "insular (songs)") are the songs and dances of Greek islands with a variety of styles, played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Turkey, Australia, the United States and elsewhere.
The lyre is the dominant fo ...
*
Sousta
Sousta ( gr, Σούστα, links=no) is a Greek folk dance, performed at weddings as an activity of courtship between husband and wife. It originates from Ancient Greece, and holds prominence in Dodecanese Islands, and broader Aegean region. It ...
*
Ikariotikos
''Ikariotikos'' ( el, Ικαριώτικος) or ''Kariotikos'' ( el, Καριώτικος, sometimes written with an apostrophe as 'Καριώτικος) is a traditional dance and accompanying song originating in Ikaria a Greek island in the N ...
References
Literature
*
*
External links
* http://www.sacredcircles.com/THEDANCE/HTML/DANCEPAG/TRATAARV.HTM
* http://www.folkdance.com/federation/dances/trata.pdf
{{Greek dances
Greek dances