Sway
Schunkeln is the name for a rhythmic movement in time with a song or music - usually in 3/4 time . The participants hook their arms under and move sideways to and fro on the spot, often the upper body is only moved while sitting. The swaying is predominantly widespread in the German-speaking area ( almost not at all in Switzerland ) and has established itself here as a custom, especially in carnival and at events with folk music .
Etymologically, the term in the German dictionary of the Brothers Grimm is derived from the verb schaukeln and the noun Schaukel , which was also known regionally as Schunkel , especially in the dialect of Thuringia and Upper Saxony . In the encyclopedia by Johann Georg Krünitz from the 18th century, the verb schuckeln is recorded as meaning “to rock quickly”, as is the dictionary of High German dialect by Johann Christoph Adelung (1793). As a dance-like movement, swaying was not known under this name, at least until the 19th century.
People swaying, 1953 in Leipzig
Shaking at the funeral of Hoppeditz as a traditional end to the Düsseldorf Carnival
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