Haka at a Maori wedding goes viral

Aaliyah Armstrong was so moved, she joined in the haka performed at her wedding.

A PASSIONATE HAKA performed at a New Zealand wedding moved a bride - first, to tears and then moved her to join in to join in the chant and dance usually performed by men.

“I wasn’t planning on jumping in until one bridesmaid did," said the 21-year old bride, Aaliyah Armstrong,

Aaliyah and Benjamin Armstrong married in Auckland, New Zealand last week. The video performed by the groomsmen and guests has gone viral, viewed over 26 million times as of this writing even though it was first posted on Jan. 20.

The haka is a Maori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield to intimidate an enemy.

Haka is a fierce display of a tribe’s unity, strength and pride. The haka includes rhythmic body slapping, making fierce faces and violent foot-stamping to accompany a loud chant.

Today, the haka is often during Maori celebrations and ceremonies to honor guests and enhance the importance of that occasion.

RELATED: High school seniors perform haka at graduation;Haka-Inspired All Blacks win 2015 World Rugby Championship

She said the haka was a sign of respect from her husband's best man and family not, as some have commented online, an attempt to intimidate him. Watching it gave me chills.

The bride and groom, both Maori, watched as the groomsmen and guests surprise them the heartfelt performance of the traditional dance, before they were so moved that they couldn't help but join in.

"I felt the need to show love and respect back" said Aaliyah. I was really blown away."

Women do not normally perform the haka in Maori culture but she said they can at weddings. 

At her wedding, the group performed the tika tonu, which Aaliyah described as "an open-range" haka that often gets taught in high school.

"It's a standard haka that most people know, so it gives people chance to step in and show their respect, whether you are young or old, whether your knowledge of this haka is strong or weak," said Aaliyah. "It's a haka that is able to bring a lot of people together."

Haka-inspired All Blacks win the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Members of New Zealand's All Blacks national rugby team perform a aka before each of their games.

WAS THERE any doubt? Of course New Zealand's All Blacks won the world rugby championship played last month in England in a historic performance.

Hailed as the greatest team to have played the game, New Zealand was the first team to win the World Cup three times and the first to retain the trophy after their 34-17 victory over Australia at Twickenham on Oct. 31.

Many credit the pregame ritual and use of the haka, traditional Maori war chant, for firing up the kiwis for their awesome performance on the rugby field. Usually, the opposing team just has to stand there and watch. How can anyone respond to that?

Details of the match.

When they returned home yesterday, they were welcomed home with a series of hakas performed by the airport maintenance crew, school girls and, of course, by the New Zealand's native Maori's.

The haka, a traditional “war dance” of New Zealand’s native Māori people that New Zealand's All Blacks perform before each game. The All Blacks may be credited for exposing the haka to the world beyond the Pacific peoples.

The haka is generally thought of as way to spook and intimidate opponents. But the haka most commonly performed by the All Blacks, the Ka Mate, has an entirely different meaning if you consider the lyrics.

The song was composed by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe, after he hid from his enemies, says Paraone Gloyne, a well-known haka dance performer, teacher and composer.

“That certain haka is actually about being victorious because the person who composed it, he was actually being hunted at the time by a rival tribe," says Gloyne. "That haka was actually a haka of celebration that he was still alive,”

“We respect and endear the haka. It is esteemed. It’s not something we poke fun of. We won’t do that to any other culture. We’re very conscious of the fact that haka is being commercialized and is being used as a marketing tool by people that don’t know anything about the haka, or taken the time to really research the haka."