In Turkey, folklore studies began at the beginning of the 20th century. Ziya Gökalp mentioned folklore ("halkiyat") in the magazine "Towards
the People" in 1913. Later Riza Tevfik Bölükbasi and Mehmet Fuat
Köprülü wrote articles on the subject in various magazines.
A Folklore Association was set up in 1927 and the "People's Houses" (1932)
both carried out important survey work in this field. Today these activities
are continued in various university faculties.
Turning points in peoples' lives :
This encompasses the preservation of traditional ceremonies connected
with birth, childhood, circumcision, marriage
and death. These are traditions that have their origins in Shamanism and
Islamic
beliefs.
Folk medicine and veterinary medicine, religious traditions, the calendar,
practical weather forecasting and law all exhibit rich folkloric characteristics
stemming from traditional Turkish society. These subjects, each of which
today is a branch of science, are themes for folkloric research, as they
have preserved their traditional forms outside the cities.
Turkish folklore has a rich treasure of games for children and adults.
These can be played in the garden at home, during chats and while visiting
people. At times these games require special equipment. Games of "Hide
and Seek", games based on religion and sorcery and games for the mind based
on imitation come into this category.
Official religious and seasonal holidays and the
beliefs and customs associated with them are also an important reason for
festivities.
Traditional clothing forms a part of Turkish traditional culture. In the
past the Turks would weave their own clothing
and make dyes from natural plant ingredients, in a way that reflected their
feelings in the designs they created. Each region had its own characteristics
in the way of clothing, headwear, scarves and socks, which have all, through
the centuries, attracted interest and admiration.
Folk dances have different characteristics based on region and location
and are generally engaged in during weddings,
journeys to the mountains in the summer, when sending sons off to military
service and during religious and national holidays.
The best known folk dances are:
This Black Sea dance is performed by
men only, dressed in black with silver trimmings. The dancers link arms
and quiver to the vibrations of the kemence,
a primitive type of violin. For more info CLICK HERE
The Spoon Dance is performed from Konya to Silifke
and consists of gaily dressed male and female dancers clicking out the
dance rhythm with a pair of wooden spoons in each hand.
The Sword and Shield Dance of Bursa represents
the Ottoman conquest of the city. It is performed
by men only, dressed in early Ottoman battle
dress, who dance to the sound of clashing swords and shields without music.
In this Aegean dance, colorfully dressed male dancers, called "Efe", symbolize courage and heroism. For more info CLICK HERE
The lively Turkish folk music, which originated on the steppes of Asia,
is in complete contrast to the refined Turkish classical music of the Ottoman
court. Until recently, folk music was not written down, and the traditions
have been kept alive by the 'asiklar', or Turkish troubadours. Distinct
from Turkish folk music is Ottoman military music,
now performed by the 'mehter takimi' (Janissary
Band) in Istanbul, which originated in Central
Asia, and is played with kettle drums, clarinets, cymbals and bells. The
mystical music of the Whirling Dervishes is dominated
by the haunting sound of the reed pipe or 'ney', and can be heard in Konya
during the Mevlana Festival in December.
There are six varieties of traditional Turkish performing arts:
Plays are put on in accordance with rural traditions on special days, weddings
and holidays.
A kind of one-act dramatic play where the narrator also imitates the various
characters in the play.
Traditional show theatre, where the shadow
puppets of human and animal figures,
cut out of leather and colored, are thrown onto a white curtain using a
light source behind it.
In style and theme resembles Karagöz, but is performed by real actors.
A mixture of Orta Oyun and western theater.
Composed of "Tekke" and "Asik," works of literary worth, often anonymous
and passed down from generation to generation. These include epics, legends,
folk poems, ballads, elegies, folk songs, riddles, folk tales anecdotes,
proverbs, expressions and rhymes.
A 13th century humorist and sage from Aksehir. His witticisms are known
throughout Turkey and often appear in conversation.
For more info CLICK HERE
A jester, said to have lived in Bursa in the 14th
century and now immortalized as a shadow puppet. Karagöz is a rough
man of the people who uses his ribald wit to get the better of his pompous
friend, Hacivat. The puppets are made from gaily painted, translucent animal
skins and are projected onto a white screen.
The 13th century philosopher poet, one of
Turkey's national treasures,
promoted basic themes of universal love, friendship, brotherliness and
divine Justice. His simple and pure writing is relevant and thought- provoking
to this day. For more info CLICK HERE
A 15th century folk poet, Köroglu was a role model for his contemporaries and a hero of his time. His adventures have been recounted for centuries and perhaps now with more interest than ever. Köroglu was one of the first people to pioneer the ideal of unconditional help for the poor and down trodden. He was also spoke out against government control and harassment.
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