Dancing mania

Dancing mania is a social phenomenon that occurred primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 18th centuries.During an outbreak of dancing mania, groups of strange people,sometimes thousands at a time, would dance uncontrollably and bizarrely.Many strange incidents of dancing mania have been recorded.  During these events, men, women, and children dance through the streets of towns or cities, sometimes foaming at the mouth until they collapse and die from fatigue.  One of the first major outbreaks of the mania occurred in Aachen, Germany, on June 24, 1374.    

During the event, the populace danced wildly through the streets, screaming of visions and hallucinations, and even continued to writhe and twist after they were too exhausted to stand.  The phenomenon is well-documented in contemporary writings.  During the initial outbreaks of the mania, religious ceremonies were often held in an attempt to exorcise the demons believed to be causing the dancing.  No real consensus exists as to what caused the
mania.  However, some cases, especially the one in Aachen, may have been caused by ergot poisoning, or ergotism, known in the Middle Ages as "St. Anthony's Fire.” 

One of the most infamous cases of dancing mania was the dancing plague of 1518, which occurred in Strasbourg, France, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.  In July of 1518 a woman named Frau Troffea began to dance wildly through the streets of Strasbourg.  Within a week, 34 others had joined her, and within a month, there were around 400 dancers.Most of these people eventually died from a heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion.Historical
documents have made it clear that the people in Strasbourg danced, but it remains unclear as to why they willfully danced to their deaths. However, as the dancing plague worsened, concerned nobles sought the advice of local physicians, who ruled out astrological and supernatural causes, they announced that the plague was a natural disease caused by
"hot blood.”  Instead of providing help, authorities encouraged more dancing because they believed that the people would only recover if they danced continually night and day.  To increase the effectiveness of the cure,authorities even paid for musicians to provide music for the dancers.

                                           

Did you know that thousands of people died because of the dancing mania

What a strang event....!!