The Greek have the Zorba, the Russian have the Kalinka, and we have the Dabke.

If there is one thing that the Lebanese people can agree on, it’s the Dabke. Dabke is a traditional form of dancing in line holding hands preformed on weddings or joyous occasions that dates many centuries back.

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Dabke is a native Levantine folk dance performed by the Lebanese, Jordanians, Syrians, Palestinians and Iraqis, each creating their own version of it. Even the Lebanese have many versions in many areas of the country.

Google celebrating the Lebanese National Independence day with Dabke

According to one folk tradition, the dance originated in the Levant area by the Phoenicians( Lebanon) where houses were built from stone with a roof made of wood, straw and dirt. The dirt roof had to be compacted which required stomping the dirt hard in a uniform way to compact it evenly. So the workers played rhythmic songs in an attempt to keep the work fun and energetic. And that’s how the Dabke was born!