The Yörüks...

When I arrived at the headquarters of the Turkey Promotion, Research, Democracy and Secular Formation Foundation and sat down in my chair, Aydan Tuncayengin sat on the edge of the table with a pen in one hand and her newly published book in the other. The conversation began with her saying, "I am signing my newly published book 'Can Against Germs' for your granddaughter 'Mavi Melodi'. I would be happy if you could pass it on to her." The happiness on her face was more remarkable than the act of signing the book. When it comes to children or babies—let alone young people or the elderly—Aydan Hanım's posture and expression change immediately. She comes alive. Her cheerful demeanor increases tenfold. 

The new book, with its cartoons and illustrations, is both fun for children and raises awareness about hygiene. After she enthusiastically described the joy of having produced a new work, a new book, she changed the subject by saying, "I have a suggestion for you." 

"Go ahead, tell me. I don't have much time. Keep it short. I'm going to meet with the young people supporting our IMM President and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu at the Lausanne Gate entrance of the Fair," I said.

"Professor!... You have been organizing the 'Göcek Gürsu Pırnaz Highland Trek - Yörük Migration' event for years. You have successfully carried it out for 22 years. If we were to work on this event as a 'Sustainable' project at a national or even international level and institutionalize it, it would be more permanent and sustainable," she said. "Let's turn it into a project!"

"First of all, what kind of life did you Yörüks and Turkmens lead in your childhood? Let's collect memories, documents, photographs, and videos from the past to the present."

"This is a topic I have also dreamed of for many years. I'm so glad you brought it up," I said. "While you create the project draft, I will write down what I know and start collecting other documents," I said. And I headed toward the Fair.

While I was heading to the Fair by tram, seagulls were diving in and out of the Gulf of İzmir. I remembered a wedding from my childhood. I felt sad when I compared it to the ones today.

What remains in my memory from a wedding held in Göcek Taşbaşı in the 1960s: "On Thursday afternoon, a flag would be erected on the roof of the groom's house or on the top of a nearby tree. Dishes and pots would be arranged for the meal service. The three-legged iron trivets for the cauldrons would be set up, and their bases would be filled with wood. They would be made ready for the fire. There was no such thing as gas canisters back then. A support team would be formed with a true sense of communal cooperation among neighbors. Once the cauldrons started to boil, the drum and zurna (pipe) band would arrive somehow. At the beginning, slow, melancholic folk songs would be played. It wasn't just the wedding house; the whole village would be in a wedding mood. Food would be served to those who came to wish the couple well, and the young people would perform their best dances to start the wedding. A delegation would go to the bride's house with a tray and a ram as part of the dowry. The team would check the situation at the bride's house. They would identify any requests or missing items. 

On the second day, usually Fridays, donkeys or horses, if available, would be decorated. Starting with the elders, they would set off for Friday prayers. The hearths would be lit, and preparations for the meal would begin. The drummers and the zurna band would start the day with slow wedding melodies. In the evening, logs and wood would be carried to a square near the groom's house, and a large fire would be lit. Various games, such as the 'Arab game' that the Yörüks loved very much, would be played. In another corner, saz (string instruments) would be played, accompanied by sipsi (reed flutes). Especially the young men and the groom would walk around in their English-style trousers, bellows boots, and six-cornered caps. They would either carry food or accompany the drummers' music with their dances. 

At the bride's house, women and girls would gather and have fun accompanied by delbek (hand drum) players. Especially the young girls would wear their most beautiful dresses, including the three-skirted outfits. The indispensable red-scarved, ornate headpiece of the bride-to-be symbolized that she was a candidate for marriage. 

Saturday, the third day, would be a full-blown festival. Wrestling matches would be held, from the youngest to the oldest. Especially children would be grouped according to their age and made to wrestle. As a prize, two gifts—either figs or stringed ring-shaped candies—would be hung around the necks of all the children, especially the winners. A group of young people would hold horse races. Shooting competitions would be organized in a safe place in the village. While the entertainment continued until the evening, the groom's shave in the evening would take place in a festive atmosphere.

Henna would be applied at the bride's side, and the village girls would perform their best dances. The groom-to-be would also attend the henna ceremony, and henna would be applied to him as well.

On the 4th day of the wedding, Sunday, bride-fetching festivities would be organized. Accompanied by a flag and the drum-zurna band, they would go to the bride's house with a decorated horse, laughing and playing. When they arrived at the bride's house, the bride-fetching would be completed with a few games. The girl, who left her mother's house crying, would be put on the horse, and they would move toward the groom's house again with games and drums. On the way, the wedding procession would be blocked, mostly by children, and they would not be allowed to pass without receiving a good tip. 

When the bride arrived at the groom's house, small gifts like sugar and coins would be scattered over her head before she dismounted. The groom's side would put jewelry around the bride's neck. The final dances would be performed in front of the house, and the bride and groom would step into their home. The family would be left alone, and the guests would leave the wedding site.

The wedding would last five days. On Monday, the 'duvak' (veil) day would be celebrated in the garden of the wedding house. The delbek players and the women of the village and the family would have fun until the evening, and the wedding would end with wishes for the new couple to spend a lifetime on a single pillow.

I wonder if the Yörük life has been sufficiently studied by anthropologists? However, today, due to both the worsening economic conditions and the intensity of working life, marriages are completed either at the marriage registry office or with a simple one-day wedding.

The beauties and values of the past must be carried into the future. The traditions, customs, and lives of the Yörüks and Turkmens of Anatolia are the most fundamental guarantees of modern Turkey. They must be kept alive and carried into the future.

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR