Today is a religious holdiay in Turkey, called Mıraç Kendili. It celibrates the ascent of the prophet Mohammad to heaven. The photo with this post is a picture of kendil simidi, which is eaten during this holiday. At night, I will walk along the Bosporus and see all the mosques lit up for the holiday. The holiday also marks a month before the fast of Ramazan starts. I don't know whether or not I will be in Turkey for Ramazan, if so, I will leave soon after it starts.
Today I went to Simit Sarayı, and asked for Kendil Simidi. I was given a box and had it along with some chai tea. It was delicious. What was also interesting was that they workers seemed to really appreciate that I acknowledged this holiday by asking for a box. Holidays such as this are a good indication of culture. They don't seek dominate the landscape, they are just a subtle reminder of a certain aspect of the Turkish character. In many ways, the Turks preserve their identity by holidays such as this. While I am certainly in favor of a secular, open society in Turkey, I really feel there is a place for Islam in Turkey. After all, the Kemalists want Turkey to perserve its heritage and identity while being modern and advanced at the same time. Holidays such as this are a good medium to achieve this.
How funny that I am listening to Mustafa Sandal while writing a post on Kandil. But it reflects the dual nature of Turkish society: the modern and the traditional. A nature that keeps me fascinted. A nature that I see in myself as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment