Out of all the previous Honors Trips to Turkey I believe that this class has the best deal out of all previous years, not only do we get to stay two weeks longer then any of the previous trips but two of those weeks fall into the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar and it is believed that it was during this month that the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the prophet Muhammad. It is a time of celebration, prayer, reading the word of Allah, and HUNGER. Between mourning prayer and sundown prayer Muslims fast in order to better understand the starvation of the poor and to practice patience.
I like to eat and the food here in Istanbul is extremely good however many of my classmates have decided to take it upon themselves to fast along with the rest of the Muslim world so I have now joined in the "festivities". So for the past 6 days I have been fasting during the day and having my breakfast at around 8:00 p.m. how ever I have not stopped drinking water, which is technically breaking the fast.
Turkey is one of the best Islamic nations to celebrate Ramadan (or Ramazan) of the many cultural activities. Iftar is the breaking of the fast and it is treated as a big party especially in Sultanahmet Square where there are countless food vendors, live musicians, shows, and parades. One of the more traditional forms of entertainment is a puppets show called Karagoz and Hacivat which involves brightly colors shadow puppets. Since it was in Turkish i really could not tell what was going on but the sheer amount of children sitting on their fathers shoulders meant it must have been something enjoyable for the younger ones.
Despite all of the festivities the reason for Ramadan is not forgotten and the spiritual message behind the fasting is still very evident. Friday was Laylat al Qadr which is one of the most Holy days of Ramadan. It was on this day that God revealed the first verses of His message to Muhammad. Friday is the Muslim day of worship and but the Masques were especially packed on this day and during the evening prayer a special reading of the Qur'an took place. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the reading at the Blue Masque and it was amazing. I would not make it into the Masque, or the inner square but had to stand on the outside due to the several thousand worshipers present who were listening to the message. The only word I could make out was Allah, God, and it was repeated over and over again and every time a verse was read a loud reply would come from the crowd which i can only guess would have been likened to an amen.
Karagöz and Hacivat puppet shows have waned in popularity for quite a few years, but are back in force as there is a renewed interest in the Ottoman Empire here. They are a little like the Ottoman version of Punch and Judy (for those parents and grandparents who remember or have heard about Punch and Judy - the reference may mean nothing to the students). In the Ottoman period they were the working class representation of the foibles of the elite, but when the Turkish Republic began they took on a more subversive, form of political satire until they were largely suppressed. I have never seen Karagöz and Hacivat puppets outside of Bursa, until this trip, though I had heard that they were coming back. For Ramadan evenings, though, the puppet show is set up on the Hippodrome and families flock to watch it.
ReplyDeleteThe photo Matt posted at the top is of traditional arts and crafts and food stalls set up for Ramadan. These showcase Turkish traditions, and some of the special foods created here (e.g. Turkish delight is sold by the shop that invented it, Boza is sold by the shop where it originated, and practitioners of traditional arts such as Turkish marbling demonstrate their techniques). I'm not sure if we've talked about Boza before, but if not, one of us will tell more about it soon.