Welcome
Login:   Pass:     Register - Forgot Password - Resend Activation

Turkish Class Forums / Turkey

Turkey

Add reply to this discussion
Moderators: libralady, sonunda
Centuries-old Tatavla Carnival returns to Istanbul’s streets
1.       tunci
7149 posts
 07 Mar 2011 Mon 04:21 am

Centuries-old Tatavla Carnival returns to Istanbul’s streets

 

Last year´s carnival drew great interest from Kurtuluş locals.

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
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.

 

Add reply to this discussion




Turkish Dictionary
Turkish Chat
Open mini chat
New in Forums
Why yer gördüm but yeri geziyorum
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much, makes perfect sense!
Etmeyi vs etmek
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much!
Görülmez vs görünmiyor
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much, very well explained!
Içeri and içeriye
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much for the detailed ...
Present continous tense
HaydiDeer: Got it, thank you!
Hic vs herhangi, degil vs yok
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much!
Rize Artvin Airport Transfer - Rize Tours
rizetours: Dear Guest; In order to make your Black Sea trip more enjoyable, our c...
What does \"kabul ettiğini\" mean?
HaydiDeer: Thank you very much for the detailed ...
Kimse vs biri (anyone)
HaydiDeer: Thank you!
Random Pictures of Turkey
Most liked
Major Vowel Harmony

Turkish lesson by admin
Level: beginner
Introduction

Turkish lesson by admin
Level: beginner