The ritual menʼs dance “Serben” was added to the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine

The tradition of performing the ritual male dance "Serben" in the village of Chortovets was included in the National List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.

This was reported by the Ministry of Culture.

Such a dance is performed in the village of Chortovets, Horodenkiv district, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The tradition is also widespread in the suburbs of Prague (Czech Republic), Paris (France), in Portugal and Poland — natives of the village live there.

The dance is closely related to the rituals of Easter or Holy Sunday. Previously, it was associated with the arrival of spring. The technique of performing the dance echoes the well-known "crooked dance", and with the adoption of Christianity, "Serben" began to be performed on Easter.

The dance is performed by men of all ages, although there are also female roles. For example, women perform verbal accompaniment and thus set the rhythm of the dance.

The dance involves a ritual circumambulation of the villageʼs temples — the locals say that "the Serbans are walking". The dance itself is preceded by the lighting of ritual fires on the biggest hills of the village.

The older church brother starts the dance. He holds in his hands the symbol of "seniority" in the "serbian" — an ax. A priest of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church joins him in the rosary of the dance. Next, other men, young men and boys approach, they invite all relatives and guests and hold hands.

The dance lasts several hours. "Serben" seems to symbolize a magic circle that will protect the village until the next Easter. Over time, the dance acquired a unifying meaning, because it unites the parishioners of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches, and the course of the ritual dance itself involves alternating rounds of both churches. This promotes interfaith harmony.