It’s an ancient circular dance, which has a ritual meaning. It is connected with the circular movement of the Sun.
In ancient times, such round dances were part of shamanic rituals. True, there is a version that nomadic peoples with the help of yokhor could also hunt wild animals, closing them in the circle.
Yokhor is divided into three parts: slow movement to songs, then the circle closes more tightly, and then the participants jump, hop and even begin running.
In each district of Buryatia, the movements for yokhor are different. To date, it is customary to distinguish eight main types of dance (Barguzinsky, Okinsky and so on).
It is believed that the more people take part in the dance, the more prosperous the year will be.
Dear readers,
Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
