Turkey’s Christians are enjoying carnival these days. The best-known carnival is Tatavla, which has a history of 569 years. The annual carnival, which stopped in 1941 because of political fluctuations in the country, was revived last year. ‘Our people want to know and to let the public in general know that we all live together,’ says one of the organizers.
Christians living in Turkey have been preparing for Lent before Easter with a colorful carnival. While almost all carnivals are organized in restaurants or association buildings out of sight, the Tatavla Carnival, which has been a tradition of hundreds of years, was organized last year on the streets of Istanbul for the first time after a 69-year break.
Organized by Greeks in Şişli’s Kurtuluş district, once known as Tatavla, the Tatavla Carnival, which is also known as “Baklahorani,” will address a wider mass of people this year on Monday. Kağıthane Municipality Press Consultant and researcher Hüseyin Irmak and Greek couple Harris and Marina Drimalitou who are living in Istanbul and are responsible for reviving the event, spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“Unfortunately, the carnival was not organized after the 1940s because of political fluctuations in Turkey,” said Irmak. “Our people want to know and to let the public in general know that we all live together.”
Harris Drimalitou said he had listened to lots of stories about the carnival, and added that it was a big pleasure and joy to organize it again. Marina Drimalitou said last year’s carnival drew great interest from Kurtuluş locals.
Carnival before 40-day Lent
During Lent in the Christian tradition, people follow various traditions of fasting for 40 days; for example they might not eat animal products and refrain from entertainment. A carnival is organized before the start of Lent. “The fact that such an important and historical event could not be organized in Istanbul was a serious loss. I grew up in Kurtuluş, where cultures live together. This is why I wanted to protect an old cultural aspect of my district,” said Irmak.
Irmak said last year’s carnival brought great pleasure to Istanbul’s Greeks as well as Greeks in Greece. “We want Istanbul to regain the colors that it has lost.”
Şişli Municipality took the necessary security measures last year in case of a possible attack against the cortege. The crowd singing Turkish and Greek songs on the street entertained the people of Kurtuluş for many hours.
“We took all measures before the carnival and no problem occurred during the event,” said Irmak, adding that they plan to turn Istanbul into a city of carnivals.
Marina Drimalitou also said there were no problems last year. “On the contrary, people on the street were enjoying with us and singing and dancing. This support is encouraging to us.” She said last year the carnival also received positive attention in Greece media. “This year lots of tourists will come to Istanbul and join us during the carnival.”
Harris Drimalitou said he had one memory from last year’s carnival that he would never forget. “Two Greek ladies were in the window of their old wooden house. They waved their hands with tears in their eyes.”
Those, who want to attend the Tatavla Carnival, can find more information on the Baklahorani-Tatavla Carnival page on Facebook. The carnival cortege will start at 8 p.m. from Baruthane Caddesi in Şişli’s Feriköy neighborhood.