FESTIVITIES Hacı Ali Saruhan İlköğretim Okulu. Turkey
Comenius Project 2010-2011
FESTIVALS IN TURKEY More than 100 festivals are held in Turkey every year. Along with festivals of local scale held in almost every city of the country, cultural events and other festivals of international reach are also organized in major metropolitan centers such as Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Antalya. Istanbul is the most important center of festivals. In the summer months, a number of music festivals are held in Istanbul. Many are organized by and associated with prominent names in Turkey's private sector. The Pamukbank Dance Days brings world famous dance groups to Istanbul. The Efes Pilsen Blues Festival, which celebrated its 10th year in 2006, hosts well-known blues and jazz groups. The Akbank International Jazz Festival provides the opportunity of improvisation and jam sessions between Turkish musicians and jazz masters of the world. The Yapı Kredi Art Festival with its concerts ranging from rock and roll and pop music to classical music and jazz is actually a series of events around the year. Fuji Film World Music Days is yet another important music festival. İzmir is notable for hosting the oldest festival activity in Turkey, within the frame of multi-theme İzmir International Fair held in the first days of September, and organized by İZFAŞ, a depending company of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. The musical and other cultural events that take place at the same time as the commercial fair had started out as an auxiliary activity to attract popular interest for the fair, but over the years the festival became a school by itself.
Fairs, festivals and events Camel Wrestling Festival-Selcuk (near Ephesus)
January
Ankara International Film Festival
March
1915 Sea Victory Celebration-Canakkale
March
Istanbul International Film Festival
April
Traditional "Mesir" Festival-Manisa
April
International Children's Day-Ankara (April 23)
April
International Ankara Music Festival
April
Tourism Fair-Gaziantep
April
Tulip Festival-Istanbul
April-May
Javelin Games-Erzurum
April-May
Ankara International Arts Festival
April-May
International Nyssa Culture and Arts Festival-Sultanhisar, Aydin
May
Ephesus International Festival of Culture and Tourism-Selcuk
May
Yunus Emre Culture and Art Week-Eskisehir
May
Aksu Culture and Art Festival-Giresun
May
Ankara International Caricature Festival
May
International Music and Folklore Festival-Silifke
May
International Yachting Festival-Marmaris
May
International Kilim Festival, Usak-Esme
May
Kakava Festivities-Kirklareli
May
International Asia-Europe Biennial-Ankara
May-June
Formula One races - Istanbul
June
Bartin Strawberry Festival-Bartin
June
International Tea Festival-Rize
June
International Offshore Races Istanbul and Izmir
June
Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival - Antalya
June
Foca Music, Folklore and Water Sports Festival-near Izmir
June
Marmaris Festival-near Mugla
June
Bergama Festival-near Izmir
June
Atatürk Culture Festival-Amasya
June
Kafkasör Culture and Art Festival-Artvin
June
International Kus Cenneti (Birds Paradise) Culture and Tourism Festival-Bandirma
June
International Pamukkale Song Competition
June
International Kahta Komagene Festival
June
International Beach Volleyball Tournament - Alanya
June
Finike Festival - near Antalya
June
International Wine Competition-Ürgüp
June
Tekirdag Cherry Festival
June
International Carpet and Rose Festival-Isparta
June
Cesme Sea and Music Festival-Cesme
June-July
International Izmir Festival
June-July
International Bursa Festival
June-July
Istanbul International Art and Culture Festival
June-July
Traditional Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling-Edirne
June-July
International Music Festival-Istanbul
June-July
Ihlara Tourism and Art Week-Aksaray
June-July
International Erzurum Congress-Erzurum
July
Tourism and Culture Festival-Iskenderun
July
International Istanbul Jazz Festival
July
International Folk Dance Festival-Samsun
July
Ceramic Festival-Kütahya
July
Nasreddin Hoca Festival-Aksehir, near Konya
July
Hittite Festival-Corum
July
Manavgat Tourism Festival - near Antalya
July
Kusadasi Tourism Festival
July
Egridir Lake Festival - near Isparta
July
Nevsehir Festival
July
Devrek Baston (walking stick) and Culture Festival - Zonguldak
July
Avanos International Handicrafts and Pottery Exhibit - Nevsehir
July
Troy Festival-Canakkale
August
Insuyu Festival-Burdur
August
Haci Bektas Veli Commemoration Ceremony-Nevsehir
August
Mengen Chefs Festival-Bolu
August
Pine Grove Ayder Mt. and Archery Festivities - Rize
August
Izmir International Fair-Izmir
September
Ertugurul Gazi Commemoration Ceremony-Sogut
September
Seyh Edibali Commemoration and Culture Festival-Bilecik
September
GAP Culture and Art Festival-Gaziantep
September
Javelin Games-Konya
September
Kemer Carnival - near Antalya
September
International Meerschaum (Luletasi) Festival-Eskisehir
September
Safranbolu Architectural Treasures and Folklore WeekSafranbolu
September
Sivas Congress Culture and Art Week-Sivas
September
International Grape Harvest Festival-Ürgüp
September
International Fair-Mersin
September
Yagci Bedir Carpet Festival-Sindirgi, Balikesir
September
Culture and Art Festival-Diyarbakir
September
Assos International Art Festival
September
Adana Altin Koza (Golden Cocoon) Film Festival
September
Eskisehir International Festival
SeptOctober
Golden Pistachio Festival-Gaziantep
SeptOctober
International Plastic Arts Festival
SeptOctober
International Akdeniz Song Contest-Mediterranean
SeptOctober
Mersin Art and Culture Festival
SeptOctober
Altin Portakal (Golden Orange) Film Festival-Antalya
October
Ahi Brotherhood Cultural Week
October
International Bodrum Sailing Cup
October
International Gullet Biennial-Bozburun (near Marmaris)
October
International Triathlon Competition - Alanya
October
International Ataturk Dam Sailing Competition-Sanliurfa
October
International Yacht Race-Marmaris
November
International St.Nicholas Syphosium-Demre, near Antalya
December
Mevlana Commemoration Ceremony-Konya
December
Turkish holidays Turkish holidays
Official holidays
National holidays
Religious holidays
Official holidays Jan 1: New Year's Day
National holidays Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly) May 1: Labour and Solidarity Day (recently added in 2009) May 19: Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day ( the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun, and the beginning of the War of Independence) Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922). Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)
Religious holidays Ramadan Feast : Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan month. Sacrifising Feast: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the poor. The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Islamic calendar an thus occur 10-11 days (exact difference between Gregorian and Lunar calendars is 10 days and 21 hrs) earlier each year.
We want to give more details about the four celebrations in Turkey .
Ramadan Feast Ramadan Feast is celebrated after 30 days of fasting. It lasts three days and people don’t work during those days. Fasting is an Islamic obligation for the Muslim people and Christians and Jewish people also have similar restrictions to learn the self-control and to understand how the hungry and thirsty people feel. The people who want to thank God for the blessings fast from sunrise to sunset during the thirty days of the month of Ramadan, considered as the
sultan of the twelve months. The people who have some health problems and the people who have to make a travel don’t do this service.They can do this service later or they should give some money to the poor people to release their hunger. Fort he celebrations, members of the families wear their best clothes and they both visit and are visited by their relatives, offering each other Turkish delights, chocolates or other kinds of sweets. Along with the greetings the habit of the hand kissing of the elders is seen (children usually get money after that). A visit to the cemetery is also a custom.
. Ramadan lantern decorations
Ramadan Street Decorations
Hıdırellez Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez (Turkish: Hıdrellez or Hıdırellez, Azerbaijani: Xıdır İlyas or Xıdır Nəbi, Crimean Tatar: Hıdırlez, Romani language: Ederlezi) is celebrated as the day on which Prophets Hızır (Al-Khidr) and Ilyas (Elijah) met on the earth.[1] Hıdırellez starts on May 5 night and falls on May 6 in the Gregorian calendar and April 23 in the Julian calendar. It is celebrated in Turkey [2] and throughout the Turkic world. It celebrates the arrival of spring and is a religious holiday for the Alevi as well. Đurđevdan is the Christian variety of this spring festival throughout the Balkans.
Etymology Hızır and Ilyas, the names of the two prophets, fused together, forming the name of the festival, Hıdırellez.
History There are various theories about the origin of Hızır and Hıdırellez. Various ceremonies and rituals were performed for various prophets with the arrival of spring or summer in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran and other Mediterranean countries from ancient times. One widespread belief suggests that Hızır has attained immortality by drinking the water of life. He often wanders on the earth, especially in the spring, and helps people in difficulty. People see him as a source of bounty and health, as the festival takes place in spring, the time of new life.
Celebrations The Hıdrellez celebrations are usually held near the forests , woods , places with trees. The people belive that the drink made of the boiled flowers of the new spring ,they get healthier and they get younger if they have a shower with that water during 40 days. The people believe that if they make a maquette of their wishes like house, car and put that under a rose tree, their wish come true. And also people wish something and bind a piece of fiber to a wish tree and wait Hızır to make their wishes come true. Also people jump over fire to catch goodness and to leave the badness. .
SOME PHOTOS FROM THE HIDIRELLEZ CEREMONIES
A wish tree
Jumping over the fire ceremony
Celebration with the folk dances
Hidirellez celebrations with a band in Istanbul. have written a wish
People pin pieces of paper on which they
NOWRUZ ( NEVRUZ )
Nowr贖z, meaning "The New Day" is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the "Persian New Year". Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian peoples and the related cultural continent and has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea and some groups in the Balkans. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomicalNorthward equinox, which usually occurs on March 21, signifying the Spring Equinox. The UN's General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Nowruz, describing it a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. Today, the festival of Nowruz is celebrated in
many countries.
Spring cleaning and visiting one another Further information: Spring cleaning Spring cleaning, or 'complete cleaning of the house' is commonly performed before Nowruz. Some Nowruz celebrants believe that whatever a person does on Nowruz will affect the rest of the year. So, if a person is warm and kind to their relatives, friends and neighbors on Nowruz, then the new year will be a good one.In Nevruz celebrations fire is important like H覺d覺rellez.. This festival is the celebration of the light (the good) winning over the darkness (the bad); the symbolism behind the rituals are all rooted back to Zoroastrianism. Jumping over the fire means , "My yellowness is yours, your redness is mine," with the figurative message "My paleness (pain, sickness) for you (the fire), your strength (health) for me." The fire is believed to burn out all the fear (yellowness) in their subconscious or their spirit, in preparation for new year.
Rebirth of the nature…
APRIL 23 NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN’S DAY
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established on 1920, April 23, and to commemorate the event, April 23 was proclaimed a national holiday in 1921. Since 1927 it has also become Children's Day "The Holiday of National Sovereignty and Children"), an official holiday dedicated to the children of Turkey and (from 1979 on) the world. The day is celebrated annually in Turkey with spectacular activities.This day is a gift to all the children by the great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In addition to holding many domestic celebratory events such as stadium performances, Turkey also houses TRT International April 23 Children's Festival, where groups of children from other countries are invited to participate in the festivities while staying at Turkish families' homes. PHOTOS FROM THE CEREMONIES
(This Photo is from the 19 May Commomerating Atat端rk and Youth Day )