Čičovoto/Chichovoto horo (Чичовото хоро), Čičovo/Chichovo horo (Чичово хоро), Čičovata/Chichovata (Чичовата) is a traditional chain folk dance from the Northern folklore region of Bulgaria. The dance is founded in a 3-bar basic step pattern with variations initiated by leader call, individual whim, or as part of a fixed choreography. The name of the dance comes from the Bulgarian noun for uncle, чичо (čičo/chicho), and appears in various Latin transliteration schemes and grammatical declensions, depending on whether you’re talking “Uncle’s dance,” Čičovo horo, “The Uncle’s dance,” Čičovoto horo, or “The Uncle,” Čičovata, (used for the title of the music rather than the dance) [or something like that…] The tune is a kyuček- (čoček-) style, 2/4-time derivative of, or possibly precedent to, the Macedonian Romani song „Davaj čičo, davaj bre čičo,“ which is commonly sung in 9/16 time in modern recordings.
| Dance Name: | Čičovoto (Chichovoto) horo |
| Original Script: | Чичовото хоро |
| Pronunciation: | CHEE-choh-voh-toh hoh-ROH |
| Translation: | The Uncle’s Dance |
| Aliases: | Чичово Čičovo (Chichovo), Чичовата Čičovata (Chichovata) Čičovoto Dete |
| See Also/Related To: | Ciganskoto horo, Dajčovo Horo |
| Country of Origin: | Bulgaria |
| Region: | Northern folklore region |
| Music Genre: | Kyuček (Čoček) |
| Choreographer: | Traditional, Philip Koutev Ensemble, IFD Clubs |
| Taught in USA by: | Yves Moreau, Steve Kotansky, Yulian Yordanov |
| Dance Type: | Non-Partner | Circle/Chain |
| Dance Category: | Village Traditional & Modern RIFD |
| Folk Status: | Living & Arranged Folklore |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate (Fast Easy) |
| Energy Intensity: | Lively |
| Tune/Song: | Čičovata; Čičovoto horo; Any brisk kyuček (čoček) Davaj čičo, davaj bre čičo in (9/16); |
| Time Signature: | 4/4 or 2/4; 9/16, if you can manage it |
| Pattern: | 6 bars (3+3) |
| Dancer Formation: | Open Circle |
| Hand Hold: | V-pos: swing fwd (odd), back (even) |
| Leads to: | R w/ R |
| Styling: | Light & Happy; Footwork close to the ground |
| Date Taught: | |
| Teacher: | |
| Published: | November 9, 2025 |
| Updated: | November 9, 2025 |
The transliteration question of ‘Ch’ versus ‘Č’
What’s with the ‘ch’ versus ‘č’ anyhow? Historically, Bulgarian transliteration to Latin/Romanization from Cyrillic script has followed other Slavic-language conventions to use diacritic letters ⟨e.g č, š, ž for ч, ш, ж⟩. However, in an effort to make the language more accessible to English speakers, the Bulgarian parliament adopted the Streamlined System for transliteration for proper noun and place names, which favors English sound-letter correspondences (e.g. digraphs ch, sh, zh) over diacritics. Linguistically, there’s no difference which system is used, but back transliteration to Cyrillic can be ambiguous in some cases.
When you find dance notes or a YouTube upload using ‘ch’ rather than ‘č’ and similar conventions for Bulgarian transliterations, the source is likely offered in a modern context aimed at a global audience. Last century (the 1980s & 90s), in the wild days of competing international character sets before Unicode, you would have assumed that the author used ‘ch’ because they could not generate ‘č’ on the keyboard/typewriter or the publishing software did not support a compatible international character set. Now that we have screens capable of displaying a multitude of language scripts, it’s back to simple Latin characters for Bulgarian…
A modern traditional dance?
Čičovoto horo is indeed a traditional dance, but self-proclaimed folklore experts writing YouTube comments want to inform you that only the first three bars are traditional, and that’s all you should ever dance. I’m not certain if they would accept any leader-called or individual variants ever, but they certainly don’t like the fixed alternating pattern of basic-variation that the Philip Koutev Ensemble has popularized and decry you calling it “folklore.” Furthermore, an ethnonationalist faction of those “experts” will tell you that the dance can never be Bulgarian, because the tune is allegedly a twofold infraction: it’s based on a Macedonian song, and it’s from Romani culture. It truly must indeed be a part of folklore to elicit such deeply-rooted racist and nationalist hatred.
What you can say about Chichovoto horo, based on YouTube uploads, is that it has been and continues to be popular in Bulgaria for more than the last decade (2012+). There are periodic folklorist references to its popularity over the last century. It is sometime the preferred dance in the Northern folklore region of Bulgaria for čoček-style tunes, which are called kyuček in Bulgarian. Yes, variants will always be newer than the original and music does transcend cultural boundaries. But when you have so many dance clubs, schools, institutions, community groups, and private parties proudly posting videos of the joy and excitement brought by the dance, who can question the authenticity of the Bulgarians’ embrace of it as an artifact of cultural identity?
Davaj čičo → Čičovata -or- Čičovata → Davaj čičo: Which came first?
I attempted to trace the alleged journey of the Macedonian Romani folk song „Davaj čičo, davaj bre čičo“ in becoming „Čičovata“/„Čičovoto horo,“ but, alas, the few and conflicting accounts I found demonstrated that the task is best left to one fluent in Bulgarian rather than one handy at Google Translate. While this origin story in no way affects how the dance is carried out, it is at least worth while to note that the common Bulgarian versions of lyrics are racist, depicting Roma stereotypes in degrading situations, so maybe it’s best to stick with an instrumental version.
Below are some of the “experts” weighing in with YouTube comments on Chichovoto horo dance videos. At the end of the list is an actual scholarly post from the German blog Tanzrichtung, which provides information on many or your favorite international folk dances (in German). I provide the Google translation to English. This view suggests the tune existed first in northwestern Bulgarian as a horo in 2/4 called „Čičovata.“ The tune apparently becomes a Romani “folk” song when the Macedonian Romani singer Esma Redžepova recorded a version in 1967 in 9/16 time (presented below) that became very popular (and did not contain racist lyrics toward Roma!)
YouTube & Tanzrichtung posts re song origins
This is what Raina Katsarova, who participated in the ethnographic expedition to Northwestern Bulgaria in 1956, wrote about the uncle dance in her book “People and dances from Northwestern Bulgaria”: People are being transferred even today and become fashionable, such as “Belogradchiskoto”…. “Chichovoto” is also new and has already received variants. It is played to the tune of the song that came out of the gypsy cabaret in Sofia and quickly went around the country “Throw it, throw it, uncle, one lump of cumur, uncle.”
https://youtu.be/KqgnvL80Zyg (Google translated)
“Davaj Cico” for the original song that this dance is based upon. Its actually a Macedonian song and has nothing Bulgarian.
The melody “Davai chicho” or “Chichovoto horo” was recorded by the Bulgarian folklorist Vasil Stoin as early as 1928 in the collection “From Timok to Vita”. Then the famous Bulgarian singer Atanaska Todorova made a recording of the song in 1938. Esma Redzepova’s recording is much later and in a different meter. Daniel Spasov’s song is a version close to Atanaska Todorova’s. In folklore, there is something called “multivariation”, but for you who copy and falsify Bulgarian history, these facts do not exist. You pretend not to notice them because it’s easier.
Finally, one positive comment, I think?
Čičovata / Čičovoto – “Davaj be čičo”
From Tanzrichtung, Google-translated into English:
Published on:by JWK
Folklore in Transition – 3
The Bulgarian dance “Čičovata” is becoming increasingly well-known and popular; mostly instrumental music is used (especially a recording by the ensemble Filip Kutev with the arrangement by Georgi Andreev from 2008), sometimes also “ Davaj be čičo”, sung by Daniel Spasov.
Regarding the song’s history: In 1926, Vasil Stoin first recorded the music of the popular horos “Čičovata” in northwestern Bulgaria , in 2/4 time. Whether the sung or instrumental version of the melody came first is no longer known. In 1936, Atanaska Todorova from Čirpan ( Thrace) recorded the song under the title “Daj be (Hvârli) čičo,” subtitled Ciganska pesen , accompanied by the Ramadan Lolov Orchestra (Arfa No. 2142). Esma Redžepova, a very well-known singer from Macedonia, followed in 1967 with “Davaj, davaj čičo” on Jugoton EPY-3736, but in 9/16 time. Daniel Spasov sang “ Davaj be čičo” as part of the music film “ Ide duhovata muzika ” (“ Here Comes the Brass Band ”), a Bulgarian National Radio production featuring pieces from Vidin, played by brass bands very popular in the north. He states (1) that his version follows the melody of the widespread northwestern Bulgarian horos and uses one of the many text variations sung today.
The different song lyrics are worth considering, however. In Atanaska Todorova and Daniel Spasov’s version, the refrain consists of a formula of thanks actually used by Roma beggars in Bulgaria. Esma Redžepova, a Romani woman, does not use these words. Her version revolves around “a small gift” for dancing for the giver— choček and belly dancing; an invitation to drink; and then another gift for playing and dancing (“give a big bench, uncle”), which, in its unbelievable exaggeration, comes across as rather charming.
Daniel Spasov’s verses are more explicit: his song asks for “a wad of cash” and a gold coin. The “uncle” is supposed to come “to the gypsy quarter,” “where they dance kjuček and belly dance.” Coupled with the aforementioned refrain, this version takes on an unpleasant aftertaste – at least to our perception.
This is unfortunately exacerbated when one considers the accompanying film sequence. Even if one concedes that ” Ide duhovata muzika ” was probably conceived purely for entertainment purposes, the exaggerated portrayal of Roma stereotypes (also present in the song ” Ciganko “) could have been omitted. The contrast to Daniel Spasov’s current remarkable project, the complex and subtle music of www.svetoglas.com, could not be greater.
The recording that Atanaska Todorova made for the Arfa record company in 1936 leaves even less room for doubt in terms of explicitness. First, the “uncle” is asked to throw over “a wad of coal,” then larger coins, i.e., more money, are requested, whereupon the uncle is supposed to provide “a kilo of wine” (2) and, on top of that, give the singer his little girl, “so that God may grant him health and also his wife and children.”
Unlike Daniel Spasov’s song, “Gypsies” are not explicitly mentioned, but the subtitle on the record label and the use of the begging formula make the association unmistakable. The demands made become increasingly outrageous as the verses progress, culminating in the invocation of the myth of “child-buying Gypsies”; overall, a distinctly racist text. The song is accompanied by the wonderful music of Ramadan Lolov’s ensemble (himself a Roma; we don’t know what he thought of this recording).
How Atanaska Todorova came to record this one album with “ Ciganski pesni ” alongside her many recordings of traditional and self-composed pieces is something one can only speculate about.
Such insensitive, perhaps even jokingly intended, crudeness, as demonstrated by the two Bulgarian text versions presented, is frequently found in Southeast European countries, particularly in relation to any minority group. What is surprising, however, from our perspective, is the deeply ingrained and apparently unreflective racism among culturally educated people.
(1) Mail dated 16 January 2016
(2) Term for one liter of winePublished in Folklore in Transition. Tagged with racism , Roma , stereotypes , Gypsies.
Dancing Examples of Čičovoto (Chichovoto) horo
Dancing Examples: Traditional (Basic) 3-bar x 2 version (Vidin, Montana, etc. NW Bulgaria)
Dancing Examples: Vidinska Čičovata (Chichovata) version (Vidin, Bulgaria & North America)
Taught in IDF workshops in North America by Stephen Kotansky, Yuliyan Yordanov, Tom Deering, etc. (each with similar and unique variations), the Čičovoto horo variant know as “Vidinska Čičovata (Chichovata)” is most distinguished by the arm hold pattern: W-hold with subtle circular motions relating to the footwork. The variations are leader-called or at the whim of the individual dancer and always begin with at least the first bar of the basic. One common variation is very similar to what the Philip Koutev Ensemble does in their alternating basic-variation choreography. Variations are described at Folk Dance Musings ©.
Here is a restricted video from balkandancer showing one variation.
Dancing Examples: Čičovoto (Chichovoto) horo, Philip Koutev Ensemble version
I don’t know for a fact that the Philip Koutev Ensemble created this fixed choreography, but they made it popular and their 2008 arrangement of music is used in nearly every YouTube video of dance variant matching the Philip Koutev Ensemble dance demo video „ЧИЧОВОТО ХОРО.“ It’s 3 bars of basic, 1 more basic bar, then a fixed 2-bar variant. Uploads are titled both Чичовото (Chichovoto) and Чичово (Chichovo). For written dance steps, head to Folk Dance Musings and look at “Čičovoto – 6 bar Version – Чичовото (Bulgaria).”
Teaching Examples: Philip Koutev Ensemble version
Written dance steps at Folk Dance Musings.
Uncle’s Horo Lesson Step by Step. / Northern Folklore Region. / Meter 2/4. / / 0:00 Demo / 0:14 First Figure / 1:09 Second Figure / 2:17 The Hands / 2:47 With Music [2023]