snake dance

or snake-dance

[ sneyk dans ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any ceremonial dance, such as that of the Hopi or Chickasaw people, in which snakes or representations of snakes are handled or imitated by the dancers.
a parade or procession, especially in celebration of a sports victory, in which the participants weave in single file in a serpentine course. Compare conga line ( def 3 ).

, snake danced, snake danc·ing.

snake dance

a ceremonial dance, performed by the priests of the American Hopi Indians, in which live snakes are held in the mouth
1. the swaying movements of snakes responding to a snake charmer
2. a Hindu dance in which performers imitate such snake movements

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

The Eagles were having a snake dance and their band was parading, the forty pieces blaring triumphantly.

Meantime the old ceremonies are going strong, the rain falls after the Snake Dance, and the crops grow.

The Snake Dance, so-called, is the culmination of an eight-days' ceremonial, an elaborate prayer for rain and for crops.

It is a replica of the Snake Dance, but shorter and simpler, and here corn is carried instead of snakes.

The writer has seen in the Snake Dance as many as nine groups of three, all circling the plaza at once.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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