Alaturbi Explained

Alaturbi is a Turkish festival celebrated in Akcaabat and Besikdüzü (west of Trabzon) on 29 June - 6 July with the participation of Cephni Turkomans in honour of the sea.[1]

The peoples of the Anatolian Pontic coast, east of Trabzon from Samsun to Rize Pazar, hold the celebration on 20 May (or 7 May in the Hegirian calendar); and in Sürmene, it is called "Litropi."[1]

In Giresun, the people pray at Arethian Island, where there used to be a shrine to Ares;[1] but in most places, the people make a pilgrimage to the sea and swim. Those who cannot do so commonly take a bath in seawater, and supposedly recover from their illnesses, such as aches and pains and even epilepsy.[2]

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Öztürk, Özhan. Karadeniz Ansiklopedik Sözlük (Encyclopedia of the Black Sea). September 6, 2005. Heyamola Basım Yayın. 975-6121-00-9.
  2. Web site: Folklore of the Turkish Black Sea Region . November 14, 2008 . June 14, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527165254/http://www.karalahana.com/english/archive/folklore.html . May 27, 2012 .