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| Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- Holidays in Turkey Series at TurkishClass101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Turkish holidays and observances. I’m Michael, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 14 - Hıdırellez, a festive folk day about the Prophets Khidr and Elijah. In Turkish, it’s called Hıdırellez. |
| Hıdırellez is a seasonal celebration that stems from both Islam and pre-Islam Turkish beliefs and mythology. According to the Gregorian Calendar, it falls on May 6. It is the day when the Prophet Khdir, or Hazreti Hızır, and Prophet Elijah, or Hazreti İlyas, met on Earth and brought abundance. |
| In this lesson, you will learn about Turkish Hıdırellez traditions and legends. |
| Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question- |
| Who is the Prophet Khdir and what does he symbolize for the Turkish people? |
| If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening. |
| Celebrations generally take place in green, woody areas near water where people can feel at one with nature. For that reason, sometimes such open-air green areas are called Hıdırlık, meaning a place suitable for Hıdırellez. People often consume fresh herbs, fresh lamb, or lamb liver. It is believed that eating the first lamb of spring or baharın ilk kuzusu, will bring health. There are countless superstitions surrounding this occasion, each more amusing than the last. For example, it is believed that picking flowers or plants, boiling them, and showering with that water for forty days will rejuvenate and beautify a person’s body. |
| It is also believed Khdir comes to visit on the night of this festival, and he brings abundance and wealth to the places he goes. For that reason, people leave their windows open so Khdir's soul can roam freely between rooms. For the same reason, people leave their purses and money pouches open. At night, people make houses, cars, hearts and other shapes that symbolize all sorts of wishes out of dough, bake it, and then hang it on a rose tree with a ribbon. Later, they make a bonfire, or ateş, make a wish, and jump over it. Before the sun comes up, people gather their offerings and place them in a running body of water, such as the sea or a creek. |
| Other popular traditions include trying to improve luck, chance, and fortune. One such tradition is the luck jar, or şans çömleği. Young girls who wish to marry or who wish for luck, make their wishes and put their belongings, such as money, beads, and earrings into an earthenware jar filled with water. Then they place this jar at the bottom of a rose tree. The jar is opened the next morning by one of the girls and while she recites verses, she draws lots. Those whose belongings she takes out will have their luck improved. This play goes on until the last sign is drawn. |
| Yogurt fermentation, or yoğurt mayalama, has a very important place in Turkish food culture. In Anatolia on Hıdrellez Day, people wake up at dawn to gather dew drops from plants for fermentation. This ferment is then used for the whole year until the next festival. |
| Now it's time to answer our quiz question- |
| Who is the Prophet Khdir and what does he symbolize for the Turkish people? |
| The day of Khdir is believed to have been influenced by Mesopotamian, Mediterranean, Iranian, and old Turkish culture and is the harbinger of the arrival of summer. Khdir or Hızır is believed to be Allah’s prophet, who gives his assistance to true-hearted people, and is a symbol associated with miracles, spring and life. |
| So listeners, how was this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting? |
| Are there any stories, myths, or legends related to the arrival of spring in your country? |
| Leave us a comment letting us know at TurkishClass101.com. And we'll see you in the next lesson! |
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