Ululation (/ˌjuːljʊˈleɪʃən,ˌʌl-/ ⓘ,[1][2] from Latin ululo),trilling orlele, is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling ahowl with atrilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of thetongue and theuvula.[3]
Ululation is practiced either alone or as part of certain styles of singing, on various occasions of communal ritual events (like weddings) used to express strong emotion.
Ululation is practised in all parts ofAfrica, theMiddle East,Americas and as far east asCentral andSouth Asia. It is also practiced in a few places in Europe among the diaspora community originating from these areas.
Ululation is commonly used in Middle Eastern weddings. In theArab world,zaghārīt (Arabic: زغاريت) is a ululation performed to honor someone. For example, zagharits are widely performed and documented in Egyptian movies featuring traditional Egyptian weddings, where women are known for their very long and very loud performed ululations. Another example of the incorporation of ululations into traditional wedding songs can be found inZaghareed (also spelledzaghareet), a collection of traditional Palestinian wedding songs reinterpreted and rearranged byMohsen Subhi and produced in 1997 by the Palestinian National Music and Dance TroupeEl-Funoun.[4] Ululations are a part ofKurdish culture. They are commonly heard during henna nights, weddings andNewroz as it's a display of celebration. Ululation also occurs amongMizrahi Jews duringsimcha (festive occasions) such as at theinauguration of a Torah scroll (hachnasat sefer Torah),brit milah (circumcision),[5] communal celebrations,weddings,[6][7]bar mitzvah[8] celebrations, and most of all athenna celebrations.[9] TheModern Hebrew word for ululation is "tsahalulim" (Hebrew: צהלולים). Recordings of various styles of ululations are commonly found in the music of artists performingMizrahi styles of music.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, ululation (calledililta) is part of a Christian religious ritual performed by worshipers as a feature of Sunday or other services in theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church,[10]Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and someEthiopian Evangelical Churches.[11] InSomali, ululation is known asAlalaas, and is widely used in music. InHausa it is known asguda, inZululilizela, in ukuyiyizela,,in Xhosa ukuyiyizela, in Tsongankulungwani and in Northern SiNdebeleukubulula. Ululation is incorporated intoAfrican musical styles such as Tshangani music, where it is a form of audience participation, along with clapping andcall-and-response.
In Tanzania ululation is a celebratory cheer sound when good news has been shared or during weddings, welcoming of a newborn home, graduations and other festivals even in church when sermons are going on. InSwahili it is known asvigelegele and inLuo dialect it is known asudhalili. Generally women exuberantly yelllililili in a high-pitched voices. Female children are usually proud of being able to ululate like their mothers and aunts.
Ululation is also widely practiced in the eastern parts ofIndia, where it is also known asUluludhvani. People, especially women roll their tongues and produce this sound during allHindu temple rituals, festivals and celebrations. This is also an integral part of most weddings in these parts where, depending upon the local usages, women ululate to welcome the groom or bride or both.Bengalis call itulu-dhwani and they use this during weddings and other festivals.Odias call itHulahuli orHuluhuli.[12][13] InOdisha, ululation is used to cheer during weddings, cultural gatherings and celebrations.[citation needed]Assamese call ituruli. InTamil, it is known askulavai (Tamil:குளவை). InKerala, ululation is essential for all ceremonial occasions and the term used inMalayalam iskurava (Malayalam:കൊരവ). For the native people ofKashmir; it is commonly practised and calledZagruta. It is mostly practised during weddings, a wedding lead up, or other occasion such as birthdays or upon hearing good news.
Ululation is rooted in the culture of North Africa, Northern parts ofWest Africa andEastern Africa as well asSouthern Africa and is widely practiced inTanzania,Kenya,Angola,Democratic Republic of the Congo,Botswana,Lesotho,Malawi,Mozambique,Namibia,South Africa,Eswatini,Ethiopia-Eritrea,Somalia,Uganda,Zambia, andZimbabwe. It is used by women to give praises at weddings and all other celebrations.[14] It is a general sound of good cheer and celebration, when good news has been delivered in a place of gathering, even in church. It is also an integral part of most African weddings where women gather around the bride and groom, dancing and ululating exuberantly. During graduation ceremonies ululation shows pride and joy in scholastic achievement. The women ululating usually stand and make their way to the front to dance and ululate around the graduate.
Ululation is used to some extent by south European women.[3] TheBasqueirrintzi is a signal of happiness originating from shepherds.[15][16]It has been proposed as a technique for vocal rehabilitation.[17] TheGalicianaturuxo is performed with accompanied vocalization from the throat.
It is also practiced by someNative American tribes. In theLakota tribe, women yell "lililili" in a high-pitched voice to praise warriors for acts of valor.[18] TheApaches also practice ululation, as do theCherokee, as war cries.
InAncient Egypt, reference to ululation appears on the inscription of thepyramid texts ofUnas, on the West Wall of the Corridor (section XIII),[19] and ofPepi I, in the Spells for Entering theAkhet.[20] In ancient Greece ululation or (Greek:ὀλολυγή,romanized: ololuge) was normally used as a joyful expression[21] to celebrate good news[22] or when an animal's throat is cut during sacrifice.[23] However, inAeschylus'Agamemnon, along with being an expression of joy, it is also used for fury,[22] and inSophocles'Electra it is employed as an expression of grief.[21] As in many cultures, use depended on context, as ululated exclamations could appear in different circumstances as a cry of lament or as abattle-cry.[24]
Homer mentions ololuge (ululation) in his works,[25][26] as doesHerodotus, citing ululation in North Africa – where it is still practiced – saying:
I think for my part that the loud cries uttered in our sacred rites came also from thence; for the Libyan women are greatly given to such cries and utter them very sweetly.[27]
Or in another translation:
I also think that theololuge or cry of praise emitted during the worship of Athena started in Libya, because it is often employed by Libyan women, who do it extremely well.[28][29]
The Hebrew wordHallelujah, translated as a call to "praise the Lord", contains theroot H-L-L, with meanings related to "praise". This root may have originally been an onomatopoeic imitation of ululation performed inIsraelite rituals.[30]
At the2020 Super Bowl LIV halftime show,Colombian singerShakira, whose father isLebanese, ululated at the camera during her performance.[31]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)hulahuli — the typical sound made in chorus by women during religious ceremonies
Hulahuli' (a shrill sound made by wagging the tongue inside the mouth)
Esta técnica se puede utilizar para trabajar el volumen alto en pacientes con disfonía y para mejorar el rendimiento vocal y la eficiencia de la voz en personas que utilizan la a volumen alto o en frecuencias elevadas.
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)
The dictionary definition ofululation at Wiktionary
Media related toUlulation at Wikimedia Commons