 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Khigga" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2025) |
| Part of a series on |
| Assyrians |
|---|
 |
| Assyrian culture |
| By country |
| Assyrian diaspora |
| Language |
| Subgroups |
| Religion |
| By location |
| Persecution |
Khigga is a style ofAssyrian folk dance in which multiple dancers hold each other's hands and form a semi-circle or a curved line. There are multiple foot patterns that dancers perform. Its thought to have been danced for thousands of years. It is one of the most common andsimplest Assyrian folk dances, generally performed atweddings,baptisms,confirmations and other joyous occasions. Set incommon time, khigga is accompanied by a moderate dancebeat and is usually performed toAssyrian folk and pop music.
To note, the termKhigga is occasionally used to denote all the Assyrian folk circle dances, i.e. "Khigga'd Belaty" ("Khigga of Belaty"), "Khigga'd Gubareh", etc.[1]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The word 'khigga' comes fromClassical Syriac ܚܳܓ (ḥāgg, “to go around”) and is a cognate of Arabichaj (حج).
Khigga is traditionally danced with music played on thezurna, supported by adavul, but in recent years, both acoustic and electronic instruments have started to replace them. The khigga has spread from Anatolia to many other regions, such asArmenia and theBalkans. The khigga is a group of traditional hand-holdingdances similar to those from theBalkans andEastern European countries, with a single or a couple of figure dancers often added to the geometrical centre of the dancing circle.
In Assyrian weddings, as well as parties and other various social gatherings, people may dance khigga for hours. Every region has its own style and forms. Khigga is simple to dance and it is the first beat that is played in welcoming thebride andgroom to thereception hall.
As with most Assyrian folk dances, khigga assumes an open circular shape and is open-ended, where more and more participants can join throughout the dance session. In a restricted floor space (e.g. a lot of tables), the dance would tend to vine around the room and assumespiral, circular and curvy shapes. Arms are predominantly used which usually move independently of the legs. Arm motions include bouncing, swinging forward and back, moving side-to-side. Thetorso, along with the shoulders and arms, bounces up and down rhythmically, often independently of the legs.Stomps and stamps are also present. Khigga goes by the time signature of4
4 andtempo between 100 and 115.[1]
Connection can also be made by pinkies, such as in the variant danced byAssyrians from Syria ("khigga'd suria" or"beriye"), which is accompanied by a faster beat, usually at around 115-120bpm, where the dancers wave their connected pinkies whilst taking a few steps forward and one step backwards in a brisk manner. This Syrian khigga form is generally danced from left to right and it also is the first beat danced in a Syrian-Assyrian wedding when the married couple are welcomed in the reception.
Khigga has other varieties such as "Heavy Khigga" or "Normal/Standard Khigga". With Heavy Khigga (or "Khigga Yaqoora" inAssyrian), the tempo is 'heavier', as its title suggests, where the participants would make more ardent and exaggeratedmoves, such as kneebending and rhythmical shoulder motions. It is not to be confused withSiskani, as that dance beat is faster and has distinguishing techniques. The Siskany dance, which may be deemed a khigga variant, is a much faster paced form of khigga where the dancers bend their knees and briskly shake their shoulders in a zippy manner, or just move forwards and backwards. Sometimes the khigga beat isgeared up to this to indicate a climactic end.
The head of the khigga line, referred to as "Resha d'khigga" (ܪܝܫܐ ܕܚܓܐ), usually dances with aYalekhta (ܝܠܚܬܐ), or ahandkerchief withbeads and bells added to the sides so it jingles when shaken. A Yalekhta can have many different designs on the piece of cloth. A "copala" (ܟܘܦܠܐ), or decoratedcane, is also used at many Assyrian weddings. AmongIraqi Assyrians, khigga goes from right to left, whereas Assyrians from Syria generally dance the khigga from left to right.
| Types | |
|---|---|
| Related | |
