Dancing plague of 1518 facts for kids
The dancing plague of 1518 was a very strange event that happened in the city of Strasbourg, Alsace (which is now in France). From July to September 1518, between 50 and 400 people started dancing in the streets and couldn't stop. They danced for weeks until they were completely exhausted.
No one is certain why this happened. The most popular idea, suggested by historian John Waller, is that it was a case of mass hysteria caused by extreme stress. Another theory is that the dancers were sick from ergot poisoning after eating contaminated bread. It is also unclear if anyone actually died from the non-stop dancing.
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The Story of the Dancing Plague
How Did the Dancing Start?
The strange event began in July 1518. A woman named Frau Troffea walked into the street outside her home and started to dance. There was no music playing. She just danced and danced, and she couldn't seem to stop.
Frau Troffea danced for almost a week. People who saw her started to copy her movements. Within a few days, more than 30 people were dancing with her. By August, the number of dancers had grown to around 400.
The dancers seemed to be in a trance. Their movements were jerky and uncontrolled. They would sweat a lot and their arms would swing wildly. Witnesses said their eyes looked empty. Their feet became swollen and sore from the constant movement. Many cried out for help while they danced.
When the dancers didn't die from a heart attack or stroke, they would often collapse from pure exhaustion. During the peak of the plague, some reports claimed that up to 15 people died each day, but we don't know the true number of deaths.
What Did the City Leaders Do?
At first, the city leaders and doctors didn't know what to do. They thought the best cure was to let people "dance the fever away." They even cleared out large halls for the dancers and hired musicians to play music. They also hired strong people to help hold the dancers up so they wouldn't fall.
This plan backfired completely. Seeing organized dancing made even more people join in. Many believed the plague was a punishment from a saint known as Saint Vitus. They thought that if they danced, they could show they were sorry for their sins and be cured.
The city council realized their idea was making things worse. They banned all public dancing and music. They ordered the dancers to be taken to a shrine dedicated to Saint Vitus. In a special ceremony, the dancers were given red shoes, had crosses painted on them, and prayed for forgiveness. After this, the dancing plague finally ended in September.
Were There Other Dancing Plagues?
Similar events have been reported at other times in history. In the 11th century, a dancing outbreak happened in Kölbigk, Saxony. In the 15th century in Apulia, Italy, it was believed that a tarantula bite could make a person dance uncontrollably. The only cure was to dance to a specific kind of music.
In 1518, some people thought the dancing was caused by demonic possession or "overheated blood."
Did People Really Die from Dancing?
It's a big question whether anyone actually died from the dancing plague. Some later stories say that about fifteen people died each day. However, historical records from Strasbourg written at the time of the event don't mention any deaths at all.
The main source for the claim about deaths is the historian John Waller. The sources he used were written long after the dancing plague happened. We are also not sure about the identity of the first dancer or exactly how many people were involved. It's one of the mysteries of this strange event.
Modern Explanations for the Plague
Today, scientists and historians have a few theories about what might have caused the dancing plague.
Theory 1: Food Poisoning
One theory is that the dancers were poisoned by a fungus called ergot. This fungus can grow on rye, a grain used to make bread. Eating bread contaminated with ergot can cause a condition called ergotism.
Ergot contains chemicals that can affect the brain, causing spasms and strange behavior. This same fungus has been blamed for other historical events, like the Salem witch trials.
However, historian John Waller doesn't think this theory is likely. He argues that it would be hard for people poisoned by ergot to dance for days. Also, it's unlikely that so many people would react to the poison in the exact same way.
Theory 2: Stress-Induced Mass Hysteria
The most widely accepted theory is that the dancing plague was a case of mass psychogenic illness, also known as mass hysteria. This is when a large group of people who are under extreme stress start to show the same strange physical behaviors, even though there is no real illness causing it.
The people of Strasbourg were living in very difficult times. There was widespread famine, poverty, and disease. This high level of psychological stress could have caused a "stress-induced psychosis" on a massive scale. The dancing may have been a physical reaction to the fear and anxiety that everyone was feeling.
This type of illness could have created a chorea, which is a medical term for jerky, involuntary movements. In the Middle Ages, these dancing outbreaks were often called "St. Vitus' dance."
The Dancing Plague in Popular Culture
The strange story of the dancing plague of 1518 has inspired many modern artists, musicians, and writers.
- The 2020 short film Strasbourg 1518 by Jonathan Glazer is based on the event.
- The band Florence and the Machine wrote a song called "Choreomania" in 2022, inspired by the plague.
- The graphic novel The Dancing Plague by Gareth Brookes tells the story in comic form.
- The event is also featured in novels like The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
See also
In Spanish: Epidemia de baile de 1518 para niños
