Travelling Bonus – “The Twelve Days of Christmas” # 9
'On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Nine Ladies Dancing'
What are your thoughts about the eight ladies a-milking – is it birds again or are you still luxuriating in a milk bath like Cleopatra?
Let’s move on if you can drag yourself away from your milk soak!
What does nine ladies dancing mean? - In Religion - each represents one of the nine Holy Spirits – charity, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, mildness, fidelity, modesty, charity.
Who was the woman who danced in the Bible? She was much more than an anonymous secondary character in the Bible—to this day, Judaic tradition regards Miriam, the dancing prophetess, as a positive and important woman.
Or, does it get its name from a legend that nine ladies were turned to stone as a punishment for dancing on the Sabbath, with the tenth stone, or King Stone, being the fiddler. There is evidence that the Nine Ladies Stone Circle was used in ancient times for ceremonies and rituals concerning life and death.
In numerology, the number 9 is associated with spiritual growth, wisdom and completion. It is believed that individuals who have a life path number of 9 are highly empathic and compassionate, with a strong desire to serve humanity. It represents completion, although not a final ending—more like the fulfilment of one cycle so that you can prepare to initiate the next one. It’s a recognition of life’s ongoing ebb and flow.
All about dance - Dance can signify joy, celebration, and/or possession by a higher power, be it good or evil. The act of dancing is also linked with rhythm and transforming time into motion.
Dance has been used as a spiritual act for centuries across cultures, including West African dance traditions and rituals. In these traditions, dance is not just a form of physical movement but is considered a means of connecting with the divine and aligning oneself with the energy centres (or chakras) of the body.
Yes, dance, at its essence, is about expressing the deep, guttural emotionality that gets right to the very core of us. That’s what makes our movements moving.
The earliest historical records show the origin of the dance in cave paintings in India dating back to 8,000 BCE. Even the 5300-year-old tomb paintings in Egypt pinpoint the origin of ancient dances. As per archaeologists, the dance originated between 5,000 to 9,000 years ago near modern Pakistan. Some earliest rock art forms suggested that 10,000 years ago, the Bushmen of Africa used to perform some trance-like dance to communicate with the spirit world.
Initially, waltz was considered a dance that people should not be performing since both partners hold each other too close. Some European countries came up with some rules for the waltz – the maximum dance time was 10 minutes. That all changed in 1815, when the allies of European states celebrated the victory over Napoleon in Austria, dancing a new dance. From that moment on, the waltz ceased to be an indecent dance and gained popularity.
David J.V. Meenan set the record for the longest and fastest tap dance. He danced over 23 miles (37 kilometers). The record was set in 1996, and it was recorded in the Guinness record book in 1998. By the way, the dance itself lasted more than 106 hours!
Non-stop dance - 131 hours in 5 days – British man Steve Stevenson was dancing to break the world record! Can you imagine 5 full days of unceasing dance? This is fantastic!
Set of 6 world records - The cast of the cabaret show “Moulin Rouge” in Paris set 6 world records. Dancers were also rewarded for the enormous number of leg movements. Two of the six times Cabaret got into the Guinness Book of Records when its participants were able to make leg movements 29 times in 30 seconds. Then the girls set a new record, beating their old one and were able to raise their legs 30 times in 30 seconds.
The Nutbush is a popular line dance in Australia that is often performed to the song “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike & Tina Turner. The Nutbush was created in Sydney in the 1970s and became popular in Australia in the 1980s. It is a simple dance that is danced on the beat of the song. The Nutbush is a part of Australian culture and is often performed at weddings, parties, and school formals. It has also gained popularity internationally through TikTok. Read more about the Nutbush record in Australia
What about Edinburgh’s Military Tatoo? Have you ever watched the Scottish Highland dancers? These dancers must have a lot of precision to not injure themselves on the swords. Why not add to your travel bucket list? Revisit my trip to Scotland in Issue # 12 - Edinburgh
I don’t know about you but I often do my happy dance when something goes right or happens unexpectedly. My kitten, Frankie, gives me a look ‘there’s the crazy lady again!’.
What does dancing mean to you?
Below are the largest festivals for you to add to your travel bucket list.
Largest Festivals in the World
Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Diwali, India
Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA
La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain
Holi, India
Chinese New Year, China
Songkran, Thailand
Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK
1 What’s my true love's meaning this time – he’s trying to express compassion and show empathy whilst expressing his core values in movement. He is also expressing that the gifts are moving to the next phase.
Did you ever wonder what type of dance the nine ladies were doing?
So when you pack for your next trip to one of these countries, don’t forget your dancing shoes.
No feathers this time except perhaps those worn by the dancing ladies. I hope you keep up, as the next one is just as physical.
I intend to have some fun with the lyrics and make my interpretations. I do not wish to offend anyone’s beliefs or religions for all twelve of these newsletters.
What's your favourite dance? Don't forget to pack your dancing shoes when travelling, it will bring joy to break into a dance in a any country.
Would love to see your happy dance :)