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Csárdás
Hungary's best-known folk dance — a couple dance that starts slowly and builds to a fast, fiery finish.
The csárdás is a Hungarian folk dance. Its name comes from csárda — the old word for a roadside village tavern, where the dance first spread.
It usually has two parts: a slow, stately lassú followed by a fast, fiery friss. Couples spin hand in hand while the men beat out the rhythm with their boots.
In the 19th century the csárdás became Hungary's national dance and was loved by neighbouring peoples too. Composers such as Franz Liszt carried its spirit into the Hungarian Rhapsodies.
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Updated: October 8, 2026