Dabke Levant Folk Dance T-Shirt

Dabke Levant Folk Dance T-Shirt - Dabke (Arabic: دبكة also spelled dabka, dubki, dabkeh, plural dabkaat)[1] is a Levantine Arab folk dance.[2] Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line forms from right to left and leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers. In English, it can be transcribed as dabka, dabki, dabkeh. The etymology of 'dabke' is uncertain but is thought to be derived from the Levantine Arabic word dabaka (Arabic: دبكة) meaning "stamping of the feet or "to make a noise". The dabke jumps may have originated in ancient Canaanite fertility rituals related to agriculture, chasing off evil spirits and protecting young plants. According to Lebanese historian Youssef Ibrahim Yazbec, the dabke descends from Phoenician dances thousands of years old. This Bandanna is swung by the line leader to ward off evil spirits and often dipped in "Holy Water" or Essence of Hyssop Oil.