sun dance

noun

a ceremonial dance performed by Amerindians at the summer solstice

• Hypernyms: ↑ritual dancing, ↑ritual dance, ↑ceremonial dance

* * *

noun

: a solo or group solstice rite of American Indians: as

a. : a rite performed in Peru by a masked impersonator of the sun-god

b. : a rite performed in the area of Lake Michigan in imitation of the sun's course

c. : a rite of the Great Plains region often accompanied by votive self-torture by suspension from a pole

* * *

a religious ceremony associated with the sun, practiced by North American Indians of the Plains, consisting of dancing attended with various symbolic rites and commonly including self-torture.

[1840-50, Amer.]

* * *

sun dance noun

A Native American ceremonial dance, performed in honour of the sun

• • •

Main Entry: ↑sun

* * *

sun dance,

a religious ceremony in honor of the sun, performed by North American Plains Indians at the summer solstice.

* * *

n. a dance performed by North American Plains Indians in honor of the sun and to prove bravery by overcoming pain