The native and official language of the Faroes is Faroese, which is a West Nordic/Scandinavian language. After the Reformation in 1538, the Danes banned the use of Faroese in schools churches and in official documents. It was, however, used in ballads, folktales and everyday life. This maintained a rich oral tradition, but for 300 years the language was not written down. Even though Danish is considered a foreign language, it is a required school subject from 3 most Faroese people master all the Nordic languages and English is also widely spoken. Music and chain dance Traditional Faroese music is primarily vocal. The traditional "Faroese dance" is a medieval "chain dance" which is danced in a circle. The dance only survived in the Faroe Islands, as apposed to the other European countries, where it was banned by the church due to its pagan origin.
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