The sacred dance : $b A study in comparative folklore

"The Sacred Dance: A Study in Comparative Folklore" by W. O. E. Oesterley is a detailed look at the sacred dance as a ritual in different civilizations, penned in the early 1900s. The book aims to uncover where the sacred dance came from, what it means, and why it was used across different groups of people throughout time, mainly looking at its part in religious ceremonies and cultural ways of showing feelings. The beginning of the book tells us that the author wants to deeply examine the sacred dance, pointing out how important it was in the lives of people, both in the past and present. It stresses how tricky it is to fully get what this ritual was all about, as it had different jobs like showing emotions, worshiping, and bringing people together. Oesterley starts his study by mentioning how important dance was in olden times, especially how it was commonly used during important life changes and group worship, paving the way for a more detailed study into specific cultural habits connected to sacred dance, including how it relates to the Old Testament and other ancient civilizations.