Instagram users reproach young people for dances near New Year tree in Grozny

A video with several couples waltzing in the centre of Grozny provoked social media claims about violation of the Chechen standards of behaviour. Users criticized both the dancers and the people who watched their dances and did not stop them.

In the video posted on January 3 in the "ChP Chechnya" and "Chechnya Online" groups on Instagram, several young men and women are dancing in the centre of Grozny under the music accompaniment. The dancers are surrounded by people who are clapping their hands. "The video was disseminated on the Internet with notes that the dancers were Chechen natives. After the clarification of the information, it turned out that those young people came from Dagestan," reported Instagram.

The video provoked a wide resonance, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learned today from Khava, a resident of Grozny. "On January 2 and 3, all people were discussing the video showing our young people dancing a waltz near a New Year tree. Such behaviour does not comply with our adats and traditions," the woman stated.

"Right in the centre of the city, in front of a mosque, young couples are dancing and embracing each other, while no one reproaches them. On the contrary, people are standing, clapping their hands, and rejoicing. Where is our morality, where are our adats, and finally, where are the standards of decency? I don't care who were dancing a waltz there, whether they were locals or young people from other places. Traditions in the Caucasus are the same, and it is not acceptable to behave like that," Sakhib, another city resident, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 4, 2020 at 11:20 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.