Hasapiko

The hasapiko ( hə-SAP-ik-oh; Greek: χασάπικο, IPA: [xaˈs̠apiko]; lit. 'the butcher's [dance]', from Ottoman Turkish قصاب (kassâb) + -ικο (-iko)) is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers' guild, which adopted it from the military of the Byzantine era. During the Byzantine era in Constantinople, it was called the makellarikos horos (μακελλάρικος χορός), also meaning 'butcher's dance'. Some Greeks, however, reserve the latter term only for the fast version of the dance.