As of today June 24: Thousands of people begin to dance to death – the mystery of “St. John’s Dance”

On June 24, 1374, the city of Aachen, Germany, turned into a backdrop of one of the strangest and scary phenomena ever recorded in European history. Hundreds of people took to the streets and began to dance incessantly, with jerk movements, without being able to stop – until exhaustion, fainting or even death. The phenomenon would be known as a dance plague or “Dance of St. John” and to this day remains one of the greatest mysteries of the Middle Ages. The outburst coincided with the feast of St. John the Baptist, an event traditionally accompanied by popular holidays. But this time, the celebration evolved into mass hysteria. The inhabitants of Aachen are described to dancing furiously, screaming, crying or laughing, without showing signs of pain or awareness. Some were out of the mouth, others were seriously injured or suffering from heart attacks and strokes. And yet, those who collapsed, rested and continued. The phenomenon was not limited to Aachen. Within a few weeks, […]
Source: News Beast

You may also like