Mevlana - Festival of Rotating Whirling Dervishes in Kenya, Turkey. 7-17 December.
Rotation circle dressed in
white robes and tall hats men seem not as intriguing as running a race with
Spanish bulls or frenzied dancing at the carnival in Rio. But the opportunity
to see Rotating Dervishes you can change the way you and did not expect. Based
on the teachings and practices of the poet Rumi, who lived in the 13th century,
the ten festivals in Konya, shows the power of devotion and proves that the
rotation is more than dizziness.
Remembering Rumi
The idea to find a worldrevolving around him did not come from nowhere. Rumi was born in Afghanistan,
spent most of his life in Persia (modern Iran), before he moved to the Turkish
Konya, where his father was invited as a scientist. Later, he became a teacher
of Rumi and won many followers, teaching peace, love and tolerance. His
educated followers thought he was a philosopher, and uneducated - prophet.
Rumi life changed when he met
the mystic Shams Tabrizi, who greatly influenced his philosophy and teachings.
Unfortunately, the followers of Rumi did not want to accept this mystical part,
and allegedly killed Shams. Sometimes tragedy, and it is not uncommon generate
discoveries Rumi discovered his talent as a poet and at the same time described
the rotation as a way to achieve divine harmony. Thus was born the movement of
rotation of the Dervishes (also known as the Order of Mavlevi), praising the
life of Rumi in the day of his death on December 17. Celebrating his
"wedding night" with God occurs almost 750 years, since 1973.
Poet incredibly popular around
the world, with a circulation of his books in the US is higher than any other
poet. But at home he was honored more than the poet. At the festival attracts
about 100,000 of his fans, mostly from Turkey.
Konya seventh largest and
probably the most conservative city in Turkey, it is home to nearly a million
citizens. Konya no bar, the restaurant do not sell alcohol, and 95% of women
wear the veil or hijab. The most architecturally sophisticated buildings of the
city built in the 13th century, the Seljuk period when Rumi lived in this city.
Most modern buildings built in the 70-80's.
Mevlana Festival is a true
spiritual Cathedral. Even from a distance you can feel the Islamic message of
Rumi - about 10% of the lines of his poems are taken almost exactly from the
Koran. You can come here just to enjoy on a rotating Dervish, but this festival
can be very deep show modern Islam, deeper than you could imagine.
This is a very spectacular,
and it is impossible not to get "news from heaven" during transcendental
fascinating dance. When Dervishes in flowing white robes, lift up the colored
lights in the cultural center of Mevlana, built specially for the ceremony. At
a time when their hands crossed on his chest first disclosed: right soars into
the sky, turning to God, and the left descends to Earth. There is a feeling as
if blossomed spring flower. No wonder that UNESCO has made this ceremony on the
list of Masterpieces of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Your personal experience is
likely to be full of awe, when individuals are transformed into collective
visual symphony. You will be amazed at the feeling of unity with them, and with
a higher force. You are religious or not, you probably understand Rumi when he
said: true religion is astounding - the dissolution of a flaming ecstasy
drowned in God and drunk on love.
Main
Konya extremely cold in
December, when the icy wind blowing.
Capture
Souvenirs
In the Cultural Center of
Mevlana Rumi trinkets whole exhibition.
Tickets
Usually held two performances
every day, in the afternoon, the show is filled with people of Istanbul. You
can buy tickets at travel agencies of the city.
Practical advice
Konya is located about an
hour's flight from Istanbul. In Konya daily shuttle bus and train, but of
course the flight easier and more convenient. Visiting Konya can be combined
with a stop for a few nights in Cappadocia (a few hours trip), which would rise
in a balloon, in one of the world's best centers of aeronautics.
