E-Twinning Project

Knowing the Other Culture Part 3

Turkish Culture
The culture of Turkey combines a heavily diverse and heterogeneous set of elements that have been derived from the Byzantine, Ottoman, European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian traditions. Turkey's former status as a multiethnic empire which, de facto until the loss of Libya to the Kingdom of Italy in 1912 (and de jure until the official loss of Egypt and Sudan to the British Empire in 1914, as a consequence of the Ottoman government's decision to join the First World War on the side of the Central Powers) spanned three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The present-day Republic of Turkey, which succeeded the Ottoman state in 1923, is still a transcontinental country that spans Europe and Asia. The nation was modernized primarily by Mustafa Kemal Atatrk starting from 1923. As he transformed a religion-driven former Ottoman Empire into a modern nation-state with a strong separation of state and religion, a corresponding increase in the methods of artistic expression arose. During the first years of the republic, the government invested a large amount of resources into fine arts such as paintings, sculpture and architecture. This was done as both a process of modernization and of creating a cultural identity. Because of the different historical factors defining the Turkish identity, the culture of Turkey combines clear efforts to be "modern" and Western, with a desire to maintain traditional religious and historical values.

In this part we would like to introduce some important Turkish traditional values

Turkish Delight

It is a kind of candy and very famous in Turkey but contrary to candy it is very soft. Turkish people serve Turkish delight to their guests on religious holidays. As you see in the picture there are many types of them.

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is very important in Turkish culture. It is generally drunk after breakfast. It is served in special tiny cups.

Turkish Meat Ravioli

It is called Mant in Turkey. It consists of many bundles with meats in it. It is served with garlic yoghurt sauce and tomatoe sauce on it. It is difficult but a very delicious meal.

Turkish Rak

It's similar to Greek ouzo and French pastis. When mixed with ice and/or water for drinking, it turns milky white. Because of its color and hefty alcoholic punch, Turks call it lion's milk.

Turkish Kebab

Lamb meat(generally) is grilled with Green pepper and tomatoe pieces on sticks. Turkish men eat Turkish Kebab with Turks traditional drink Rak.

Baklava

It is a kind of dessert. We can say that it is our national dessert. It is very hard to make it. Our grandmothers make it well, we just know how to eat it :)

Nasreddin Hodja

Perhaps the most popular figure in the tradition is Nasreddin who is the central character of thousands of jokes. He generally appears as a person who, though seeming somewhat stupid to those who must deal with him, actually proves to have a special wisdom all his own: One day, Nasreddin's neighbor asked him, "Teacher, do you have any forty-year-old vinegar?""Yes, I do," answered Nasreddin."Can I have some?" asked the neighbor. "I need some to make an ointment with.""No, you can't have any," answered Nasreddin. "If I gave my forty-year-old vinegar to whoever wanted some, I wouldn't have had it for forty years, would I?"

Karagz&Hacivat

Another popular element of Turkish folklore is the shadow theater centered around the two characters of Karagz and Hacivat, who both represent stock characters: Karagzwho hails from a small villageis something of a country bumpkin, while Hacivat is a more sophisticated city-dweller. Popular legend has it that the two characters are actually based on two real persons who worked for Osman I,the founder of Ottoman Empire.

It is a common attitude in Turkey and also in Muslim countries. When we visit old people, we kiss their hands and put it onto our forehead. Especially on religious days, grandchildren visit their grandparents and kiss their hands, immediately after it grandparents give money to the grandchildren.

When we send off a family member or a friend to do his military service in Turkey, this farewell turns into a display to encourage the soldier nominee.

The night before the wedding day, the women among the family and the friends of the bride meet with wearing traditional clothes and turn around the bride singing and dancing with henna in their hands. They sing sadly and wait the bride to cry as she is leaving her house and family. Some piece of henna is also put into each of the womens palms in the meeting. It is called Henna Night in our country.

Vicinity is very important in Turkish culture. Especially in villages neighbours share anything. This can be a photo of it.

Folk-dance

Folk dance is our traditional dance and it can differ from region to region,and also the clothes are different in every region.

FIRE OF ANATOLIA
It is a professional group of dancers in Turkey which often goes on tour in Europe and displays the modernized Turkish folk and oriental dances.

Enjoy the movie

And if you like the movie,here are some other links of their movies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrImHI9Oz2Q&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRm8DzpbcDE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNT6fmtIYlQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbbxbAxgtyw&feature=related

Whirling Dervishes
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity. In this respect, Dervishes are most similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus. The whirling dance of dervish or Sufi whirling that is proverbially associated with Dervishes is best known in the West by the practices (performances) of the Mevlevi order in Turkey, and is part of a formal ceremony known as the Sama. It is, however, also practiced by other orders. The Sama is only one of the many Sufi ceremonies performed to try to reach religious ecstasy (majdhb, fana).

Enjoy the movie

Our Songs
Here are some old and new samples of our music. We tried to choose different kinds for youI hope you enjoy

Bab- Esrar by YANSIMALAR

It is an example of our mystical music. The name of the group is YANSIMALAR means echoes

Enjoy the movie

We would like to introduce our winner of Eurovision Song Contest of 2003 SERTAB ERENER and her song Everyway that I can

Everyway That I can

The song Everyway that I can is about a concubine in Ottoman Harem, and her efforts to get her love back.

Tarkan

Tarkan is a famous Turkish singer and also he is wellknown in Europe. Maybe you might have heard him somewhere in your country. Here are his two songs

Here are some other songs of him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=W8tmcJrBHJ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJkpzFlFuD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVbtVACV5pk&feature=related

Gripin

Gripin is a pop-rock music group who has many top-listed songs. They are very popular nowadays

Byle Kahpedir Dnya by Gripin enjoy the movie

Hadise

Hadise firstly became famous in Europe as she was born in a European country then she came to Turkey and represented Turkey in Eurovision song Contest of 2009. She still lives in Turkey.

And Sezen Aksu

She is the most famous among the others. Everyone in Turkey knows her. She made many songs both wrote the lyrics and compsed them. Also she sang with her beautiful voice.

Dm Tek Tek by Hadise

inanay by Sezen Aksu

We know that telling about the culture of a nation is a very complex and a difficult matter. We tried to introduce our culture as good as we do. We hope you feel happy to know the Turkish Culture

We will feel very happy to learn about your culture