The Zambra is the typical dance of Gypsy wedding ceremonies. Famous in Granada, it is the evolution of earlier Moorish dances and has many similarities with belly dancing.
Developed in the Sacromonte hills in Andalusia, it was abolished for a short period for being considered sensual and sinful, which led the Gypsies to hide in the famous caves of Granada to express their tradition.
It is danced barefoot and playing finger cymbals, with the blouse tied under the bust and the wide skirt fastened at hip height with wide pleats that allow it to float in the air.
The name derives from the Arabic "zumra," meaning feast: it was the traditional rite of Moroccan weddings prohibited by the Inquisition in the 16th century. After Granada was conquered by the Catholic kings, all Moroccans were forced to leave the city walls and left for Sacromonte. Once there, they mingled with the Gypsies from India, a nomadic tribe that had arrived in Sacromonte some years earlier.
The Zambra ceremony was absorbed, learned, and transformed by the new tribes of Sacromonte, who at some point began to show and preserve it as their tradition. These groups are the only remaining evidence of this incredible Moroccan dance. They are the only ones who have kept this ancient discipline alive and those who have evolved it into the flamenco dance we know today.
The Zambra is today a unique and genuine artistic expression of Granada, of the Sacromonte caves and their Gypsies, and a show not to be missed when visiting the city.
