Hidrellez (Anatolian May Day)
Living in Season Newsletter by Waverly Fitzgerald
http://www.schooloftheseasons.com
Celebrating Hidrellez
One of my School of the Seasons readers, Julia Pacacioglu, who is living in Istanbul, sent me information about the holiday of Hidrellez, the Anatolian version of our May Day.
Like May Day, it is viewed as both the first day of summer and also the height of spring. It happens on May 5 and 6 (I assume it begins on the eve of May 5). It is celebrated mainly by the Alevi faction of Muslims (whose religion is a mix of ancient shamanic customs and Islamic beliefs) and the Gypsies (chingeneler).
It is a day for making wishes. Julia writes: Everyone goes around tying pieces of fabric and paper to designated trees for wishing. You're also supposed to write or draw a picture of what you desire and hang it on the thorn of a rose bush the night of Hidrellez. The next morning before sunrise you must take it off the rosebush and when the wish comes true, you must throw the paper in running water, like a river or a stream.î You can also put money under a rosebush on the evening of Hidrellez for good luck. Usually people put a nickel or a penny that they have marked with paint or nail polish. The money must be collected before the sun rises on Hidrellez and never spent (that is why it is marked).
Julia also sent the following list of beliefs about Hidrellez:
1) There are no clouds in the sky on the day and night of Hidrellez. (This reminds me of beliefs about Ascension in the Christian tradtion; Ascension is May 21 this year.)
2) If one gets out of bed before the sun rises on the day of Hidrellez, their work will go badly and they will become ill. (Then how does one retrieve the wish or money from the rose bush?)
3) It is unlucky to work on the day of Hidrellez
4) If you swing on a swing on the day of Hidrellez, your back will get sore. (Julia notes that low backs are the source of many Anatolia ata sozuî or old wive's tales.)
5) It is unlucky to hold iron on the day of Hidrellez
6) If you scare a barren fruit tree with an axe on the day of Hidrellez (presumably you threaten to cut it down) it will bear fruit.
7) Pregnant women who do housework on the day of Hidrellez will give birth to deformed or handicapped children.
Many of these injunctions, though slightly ominous, hint at the importance of taking a holiday.
For more information on the festival as it is celebrated in Istanbul:
http://www.hidrellez.org/english.asp
http://www.schooloftheseasons.com
Celebrating Hidrellez
One of my School of the Seasons readers, Julia Pacacioglu, who is living in Istanbul, sent me information about the holiday of Hidrellez, the Anatolian version of our May Day.
Like May Day, it is viewed as both the first day of summer and also the height of spring. It happens on May 5 and 6 (I assume it begins on the eve of May 5). It is celebrated mainly by the Alevi faction of Muslims (whose religion is a mix of ancient shamanic customs and Islamic beliefs) and the Gypsies (chingeneler).
It is a day for making wishes. Julia writes: Everyone goes around tying pieces of fabric and paper to designated trees for wishing. You're also supposed to write or draw a picture of what you desire and hang it on the thorn of a rose bush the night of Hidrellez. The next morning before sunrise you must take it off the rosebush and when the wish comes true, you must throw the paper in running water, like a river or a stream.î You can also put money under a rosebush on the evening of Hidrellez for good luck. Usually people put a nickel or a penny that they have marked with paint or nail polish. The money must be collected before the sun rises on Hidrellez and never spent (that is why it is marked).
Julia also sent the following list of beliefs about Hidrellez:
1) There are no clouds in the sky on the day and night of Hidrellez. (This reminds me of beliefs about Ascension in the Christian tradtion; Ascension is May 21 this year.)
2) If one gets out of bed before the sun rises on the day of Hidrellez, their work will go badly and they will become ill. (Then how does one retrieve the wish or money from the rose bush?)
3) It is unlucky to work on the day of Hidrellez
4) If you swing on a swing on the day of Hidrellez, your back will get sore. (Julia notes that low backs are the source of many Anatolia ata sozuî or old wive's tales.)
5) It is unlucky to hold iron on the day of Hidrellez
6) If you scare a barren fruit tree with an axe on the day of Hidrellez (presumably you threaten to cut it down) it will bear fruit.
7) Pregnant women who do housework on the day of Hidrellez will give birth to deformed or handicapped children.
Many of these injunctions, though slightly ominous, hint at the importance of taking a holiday.
For more information on the festival as it is celebrated in Istanbul:
http://www.hidrellez.org/english.asp
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