23 Jul Traditional Dances Comunidad Valenciana

Every area has its own regional dance, and although Spain is best known for flamenco, this is a traditional dance (or dansà) known as a Sandinga. This one is from the region of Xixona. Xixona is in the province of Alacant, and Alacant is one of the three regions that make up the Valencian Community. 

This dance is hundreds of years old. Dances like these were done in pagan times to honor a god or goddess. Since a great majority of the lands that make up the Valencian community are farm land, these dances were done to ask for bountiful harvests, the blessings of rains, and so on. When Christianity arrived, all of the pagan rituals were replaced in the names of saints, and the dances with them. 

Dances like this one are often performed at festivals or just in the plazas on Sundays!

This type of dance is called a jota, and its a traditional type of courtship dance. This song is called El Trompot. A lot of the songs in a jota are about piety, love or satire. This one is about Valencia itself (among other things!)

These are just a couple of the many different dances that are done in the region. Some of the things that all of these dances have in common are the traditional dress and the use of castanyoles (castanyetes), a small instrument played in the hand and very typical of traditional Spanish music.