dolmu

Dolmu is a traditional cultural practice described in the folklore of the fictional region of Amara. It denotes a communal ceremony that combines dance, music, and storytelling, typically performed during the harvest festival and certain rites of passage. The form emphasizes participation, ritual sequence, and the transmission of community memory.

The term dolmu is derived from the Amaran language, combining roots meaning to turn and song, reflecting the circular nature of the dance and the sung refrain. Variants of the word appear in neighboring dialects with minor phonetic shifts.

Dolmu ceremonies center on a circle in which participants rotate around a central focal point, performing synchronized steps and hand claps. A lead singer recites verses while a drummer and a flute player provide accompaniment. Participants wear handmade robes with geometric motifs.

The earliest written references date to 12th-century manuscripts from northern Amara, with enduring reformulations during the modern era. Revival movements in the 20th century helped standardize a core repertoire while allowing regional variants.

Regional variation and modern context: Eastern communities favor a larger circle and a call-and-response chorus, while western groups emphasize narrative storytelling with a smaller drum. Today dolmu is performed at national festivals, cultural heritage programs, and school curricula, and it is preserved by ethnographic societies.