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Turkish Folklore

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.

Main guidelines in Turkish Folklore

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.

Folkloric Knowledge

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.

Children's and Adult Games

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.

Holidays

Official religious and seasonal holidays and the beliefs and customs associated with them are also an important reason for festivities.

Clothing

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.
Turkish Folk Dances

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:

Horon

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.

Kasik Oyunu

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.

Kilic Kalkan

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.

Zeybek

In this Aegean dance, colorfully dressed male dancers, called "Efe", symbolize courage and heroism.

Turkish Folk Music

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 inKonya during the Mevlana Festival in December .

Performing Arts

There are six varieties of traditional Turkish performing arts:

Village Plays

Plays are put on in accordance with rural traditions on special days, weddings and holidays.

Meddah

A kind of one-act dramatic play where the narrator also imitates the various characters in the play.

Karagoz

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.

Orta Oyun

In style and theme resembles Karagöz, but is performed by real actors.

Tuluat Theater

A mixture of Orta Oyun and western theater.

Turkish Folk Literature

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.

Turkish Folk Heroes

Nasrettin Hoca

A 13th century humorist and sage from Aksehir. His witticisms are known throughout Turkey and often appear in conversation.

Karagöz

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.

Yunus Emre

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.

Köroglu

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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Folk dances of Izmir

Folkdances, Costumes and Musical Instruments of Izmir

Zeybek Dances (a dance of western Anatolia or its music) appear to our minds whenever Western Anatolian Folk Dances especially of Izmir, Aydin, Denizli, Balikesir and Mugla are told.
Zeybek dances are various about 150 types, however they can be gathered into two main classifications.
1) Slow Zeybek
2) Yörük Zeybek (Fast Zeybek)
In Izmir Zeybek Dances that are to be danced whether single or with a group, display the Efe's and Zeybek's self-assurances, mainly braveness and their challenges. The Zeybek's who show braveness and honestly with all their excitement are a symbol of dignity and valor.
Some of the Zeybek dances of Izmir and its surroundings are stated below: Arpazli, Harmandali, Kordon, Bergama, Dagli, Kasikçi Koca Arap, Elifoglu, Iki parmak, Sogukkuyu , Süslü, Jandarma, Yunt daglari, Bakirli, Kasnak, Hantuman, Bas bas, Sabahin Seher Vakti, Ötme Bülbülüm, Yagdi yagmur, Çakici, Ince Mehmet, Karsilama, Kozak, Somali, Yandir, Yörük Ali, Minarede Ezan Var, Sümbül Bahçesinde Karanfili, Kemeralti Zeybekleri.

Musical instruments:

The musical instruments that are used in Zeybek dances are clarinet and drum in the open areas, baglama (a plucked instrument with 3 double strings and a long neck) is used in the closed areas. The double clarinet is traditional while the first clarinet plays the melody the other one accompanies it.

Costumes:

The costumes of Efe and Zeybek are told below.
Efe wear a reddish helmet which is made of broadcloth and this helmet called "Kabalak". Efe tie "Posu" that the young girls embroidered around their helmets. The blue shalwar (baggy trousers) that Efe wear are called "Çasir Menevrek". These shalwars' length extends to the knee-caps and they are open in both winter and summer. The flank side of these "Çasir Menevreks" are black-silk caftan (robe). They wear the tassels that is called "Koza" and they are long. This tassel must be 100 drachma (400th part of an okka). If the jackets that the Efe wear have sleeves, this type is called "Cepken" and if not, then it is called "Çamadan". These are made of blue or dark-blue broad-cloth and they are embroidered with the black-silk caftan with various motifs and Zeybeks wear silver-thread cepkens. The mintan with thin round disks and without color is called "Alakye", is worn to the waist and leather weapon case which is tied to it. In this weapon case "Kulakli Yatagan Knife" takes place.
Besides a handkerchief a silver tobacco case, an amber cigarette holder and two okkas of clean wool-shorn is used in case of an injury and from flank side of the weapon-case, an iron stick that is called "mese" leans over. He uses his knife to sharpen this Pala or to defend himself in case of a confrontation against agony. Two Efe never shoot each other, because this signifies "cowardness".
Efe wear "Pazubent" that is covered with silver to their arms, an "enam" and a silver "hamay" lean over on their breasts. Pazubent is worn from the childhood to the end of life. Efe's weapons are silver repose work that is embroidered with a silver repose. They wear cross-cartridges called "Karlilik" on their breasts. The embroidered boots that Efe wear are called "Kayalik" only Efe wear them. Zeybeks and infants wear "Çariksi" (slippers). Both in winter and summer the wool socks are worn and knee-pad that is called "Kepmen" are worn on it. The daggers which are put "Kepmen" are used in dances. Efe and Zeybek are distinguished from each other with the difference in their mintans; Efe's mintans are not buttoned up, their breasts are seen.

Meanings of the figures in Zeybek:

Some differences are seen in their figures of walking, turning, rising, knee-downing and holding up their arms (the walking with or without ricochets) and turnings in the Zeybek plays display Zeybek's self-assurance, honesty, braveness and challenging.

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Horon folk dance

The origins of Anatolian folk dances go back far into the past, when they were part of divine festivities. This is evident in the sin-sin which is danced at night and takes its name from the moon goddess Sin. Other dances, too, such as the Düz Halay of Sivas, the Basbar of Erzurum, the Bengu of Bergama, the Türkmen kizi (Türkmen's daughter) of Corum, the Topal Kosma of Kastamonu, the Güvende of Bursa, the Harmandali, Arpazli and Yalabik of Kozak and Kasikci, and the Horon and Siskara of Trabzon were all part of sacred rituals. The shared theme of folk dances is the display of courage, the movements are an expression of natural character, and their purpose is to pass down messages from generation to generation in the passage of social life, as well as to liven up communal events such as holidays, festivals and weddings with increment, costume, voice, music and rhythm.
The way the dancers sweep upwards, tighten ranks, open up their arms like wings, or strike their knees on the ground: the sounds of drum and fife, bagpipes, and kemence: the shouts, and joining arm, hand and shoulder, all have their symbolic meanings.
The origin of the horon dances of the Black Sea coast is the ancient koron-horon of pagan worship. This word comes from hur-kor, meaning sun. Researchers have identified over fifty variations on the horon in a single region. These dances demand exceptional speed, agility and skill in the dancers, who are generally accompanied by the kemence.