It’s been some time I was planning to write a post about this… I finally got the courage, and here it is.

The Haka, a traditional Maori dance.

No other traditional dance impressed me as much as the Haka.
I know it for sometime now, but probably watched it for the first time in a National Geographic of Discovery Channel documentary.

The Haka probably became internationally famous after New Zealand’s rugby union team All Blacks performed the traditional dance before the rugby matches.

As the wikipedia entry explains, though the most famous dance is the “Ka Mate”, a war dance performed by the All Blacks, the Haka isn’t limited to war chants, not it’s limited to men.

Maybe this misconception started because at least to us foreigners, it sounds like a very aggressive dance… with the expressions and all the slapping, that is.

Anyways, it became a symbol of strengh and determination.
That doesn’t mean people can’t joke about it though:

xD Notice the bakery is in New Zealand!