Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Beliefs and Rituals Formed Around Hıdrellez and Martenitsa Culture
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Salih UÇAK
ABSTRACT:
Some rites, ceremonies and festivals, which can be considered as the common heritage of humanity, are celebrated with very similar symbols and motifs. We find that the practices of the “Hıdrellez” festival, which is widely celebrated in the Central Asian Turkish community and Anatolia, and the “Martenitsa” festival, celebrated in the Balkans, especially in Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Moldova, are surprisingly close to each other. In both festivals, which are celebrated as the beginning of spring, the practices for abundance and fertility are almost the same. It is possible to say that these holidays, which are recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, are essentially the same. It is possible to say that Shamanist traces in Turkish communities in Asia, forms belonging to pagan culture in the Balkans and the Islamic framework in Anatolia are effective. Interesting results were obtained in the comparison we made in the light of the data we obtained through the compilation and document review method. It is possible to say that the symbolic value of the “Martenitsa” ornaments used in the practices during the month of March in the Balkans and the wishes buried at the foot of the rose tree on the 6th of May in Anatolia and the cloths and ropes tied to the trees have the same symbolic value. We believe that these folkloric festivals, which have the same essence and some minor formal differences, should be considered within the framework of common cultural heritage. In this research Hıdrellez and Martenitsa, which are celebrated in the spring season in Central Asia, Caucasus, Anatolia and Balkans, are examined in various dimensions.
keywords: common heritage, cultural heritage, festival, motif, folklore