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A SILENT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION: ANATOLIAN CHRISTIANS
Vartan Estukyan 12.24.2014 22:24NEWS
Christmas is celebrated with great joy and excitement by billions of
Christians, and in recent times, has also become a visual spectacle.
The Christmas spirit reveals itself in the intense activity during
festive season, but it obviously does not mean anything special in
countries where Islam is the predominant religion. The situation in
Turkey is slightly different. After all, this is a country that has
been home to both Christians and Muslims in the past and today.
Although today the state would have us believe that 99% of the
country's population is made up of Muslims, Christmas is still
celebrated in Turkey, and besides, at two separate dates. The first,
as in the most of the Christian world, is December 24-25, and the other
is January 6, on which Apostolic Armenians celebrate Surp Dzınunt,
and the Orthodox world celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ. We
wanted to find out how the now very few Anatolian Christians spend
Christmas, and asked our questions to residents of different cities.
Sivas: Indoors celebration in winter country
Once the majority population of the city, the few remaining Armenian
families of Sivas come together to celebrate New Year. Since the city
is covered in snow at this time of the year, the Sivas Armenians have a
very colourful time during Christmas and New Year. Yervant Durmazguler,
one of the few Armenians who continue to reside in Sivas, explains:
"Here we have very colourful New Year and Surp Dzınunt celebrations,
since the dates are close, the preparations for both days are done
together. We often have a white New Year, and the celebrations are
held indoors, with family and friends."
A rich table for New Year
Durmazguler also mentions the diversity of New Year and Christmas
table: "The turkey is sent to the bakery's oven in the neighbourhood,
and the stuffed turkey with seasoned rice form the centrepiece of a
great New Year and Christmas dinner table. On the evening of December
31, a special dessert, similar to ashura, but which contains coarse
wheat, grape molasses and yellow grapes, and is called 'gorgit' is
made. Preparation for Dzınunt, which is on January 6, begins one or
two days before. Trotters soup, stuffed leaves and pastry desserts
are the highlights of the Dzınunt dinner table."
Christmas Greeting from Official Authorities
Durmazguler then explains the importance of celebrating Christmas in
Anatolia: "In Anatolia's warm and sincere environment, we share both
our joy and sorrow, and connect to each other with strong ties. Our
Muslim neighbours are also aware of the fact that Christmas is a
special day for us, and always come to greet us. In recent years,
besides our neighbours, the Governor, Mayor and Police Chief have also
visited us at our homes and presented their greetings for Christmas."
Diyarbakır: Dzınunt at the Syriac Church
Diyarbakır is another city that had a large Armenian population
in the past, and both Christmas and New Year are celebrated with
great joy and excitement. However, since not many Armenians live in
Diyarbakır anymore, the celebrations are held at the Syriac Ancient
Virgin Mary Church. Let us lend an ear to Melike Dara Gunal, as she
tells us about Christmas and New Year celebrations in Diyarbakır:
"We have no religious official at the Surp Giragos Armenian Church, so
we can't hold mass. That's why we often take part in mass at the Syriac
Ancient Virgin Mary Church. Or for a more entertaining and crowded
festival, we go to Mardin. Since there are no Armenian religious
officials in the region, many of our traditions have commingled
with those of our brother Syriac people. For instance, celebrating
Christmas on December 25 rather than January 6... It is pretty much
the same as everywhere else in the country. And people are prejudiced,
since they don't know the difference between Christmas and New Year."
'They think New Year and Christmas is the same thing'
Gunal explains that many people in Diyarbakır think that New Year
and Christmas is the same thing, and are surprised when they find out
that they are, in fact, separate days: "They think it's the same day,
so many conservative Muslims are against celebrating this Christian
tradition. It is worth seeing their surprise when they find out that
Christmas is actually on December 25. Some even think they have missed
out on New Year celebrations for nothing, because others have told
them it is a Christian tradition."
Wine: The centrepiece of Christmas tables
Melike Dara Gunal tells us that in addition to turkey, that is
synonymous with Christmas, the special dishes of the city such as
kaburga [spare ribs] and tas kebabı [lamb stew] also feature on
Armenian dinner tables in Diyarbakır. Gunal adds that wine and meze
are the indispensable centrepieces of Christmas and New Year tables
for the Christians of Diyarbakır.
Gunal states that, following the renovation of the Surp Giragos
Church, New Year celebrations have been held at Church for the past
two years, but there are those who prefer to celebrate this special
day at home: "For me, it is special to celebrate this day together
with our Syriac sisters and brothers, although our New Year is on
January 6... However, there are many Islamised Armenians who do
not observe this tradition... Christmas is another matter, there
are very few Christian Armenians in Diyarbakır, so there is no
mass celebration. But we have gathered for the last two years and
celebrated together."
Mersin: Arab Christians celebrate Christmas together
There is a small Arab Christian community in Mersin, who of course
celebrates Christmas. Religious official Ä°spir CoÅ~_kun Teymur,
also known as Priest Spiro, of the Mersin Greek Orthodox Church,
told us about the atmosphere in Mersin during Christmas and New Year:
"Families keep religious traditions alive within the household. We
perform Christmas mass at our Church with our entire congregation
in Mersin. On the second day of Christmas, we organize a Christmas
Ball in a hall. At Christmas and New Year, families prepare menus
formed of dishes unique to our community and the region. These often
include meatballs with stuffing, stuffed turkey and various grilled
meat dishes."
The city also observes Christmas
Teymur adds that the people of Mersin are aware of the importance
of Christmas for Christians, and that district municipalities hang
up Christmas lights along the main streets for the festive period:
"In addition to the main streets, large stores and workplaces also
hang up Christmas decorations. There is clearly a different atmosphere
compared to the rest of the year."
Mardin's 'Pifkana hane': the clown in town...
Mardin, where there is a large Syriac Christian community, is a
city where Christmas is celebrated with great excitement. Ferit
Altınsu tells us that everyone goes to church early on December
25 and explains the atmosphere in Midyat as follows: "As people
flow out of church, the first greetings are presented among the
community. Then people take their place in the church hall, and the
men, the bishop, the priest and all the other religious clergy sit
for a while to congratulate each other. Then people return home,
and greet their family members. Often, after church, a main course
featuring a meat dish is eaten rather than breakfast, then house
visits begin. Children and youngsters form groups to visit houses
and to celebrate the Christmas festival of the families in town."
Altınsu tells us that New Year celebrations are very colourful, and
that they also have a figure known as 'pifkana hane', who is similar
to the modern-day clown, who displays certain performances on December
31: "There aren't many left today, but the performers we call 'pifkana
hane' and are similar to clowns, form groups of two and visit people's
homes on New Year's Eve, and entertain the children with various
short sketches. In return, they would collect some dried and fresh
fruit from these households, and then distribute them to the needy."
http://www.agos.com.tr/en/article/10063/a-silent-christmas-celebration-anatolian-christians
From: A. Papazian
Vartan Estukyan 12.24.2014 22:24NEWS
Christmas is celebrated with great joy and excitement by billions of
Christians, and in recent times, has also become a visual spectacle.
The Christmas spirit reveals itself in the intense activity during
festive season, but it obviously does not mean anything special in
countries where Islam is the predominant religion. The situation in
Turkey is slightly different. After all, this is a country that has
been home to both Christians and Muslims in the past and today.
Although today the state would have us believe that 99% of the
country's population is made up of Muslims, Christmas is still
celebrated in Turkey, and besides, at two separate dates. The first,
as in the most of the Christian world, is December 24-25, and the other
is January 6, on which Apostolic Armenians celebrate Surp Dzınunt,
and the Orthodox world celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ. We
wanted to find out how the now very few Anatolian Christians spend
Christmas, and asked our questions to residents of different cities.
Sivas: Indoors celebration in winter country
Once the majority population of the city, the few remaining Armenian
families of Sivas come together to celebrate New Year. Since the city
is covered in snow at this time of the year, the Sivas Armenians have a
very colourful time during Christmas and New Year. Yervant Durmazguler,
one of the few Armenians who continue to reside in Sivas, explains:
"Here we have very colourful New Year and Surp Dzınunt celebrations,
since the dates are close, the preparations for both days are done
together. We often have a white New Year, and the celebrations are
held indoors, with family and friends."
A rich table for New Year
Durmazguler also mentions the diversity of New Year and Christmas
table: "The turkey is sent to the bakery's oven in the neighbourhood,
and the stuffed turkey with seasoned rice form the centrepiece of a
great New Year and Christmas dinner table. On the evening of December
31, a special dessert, similar to ashura, but which contains coarse
wheat, grape molasses and yellow grapes, and is called 'gorgit' is
made. Preparation for Dzınunt, which is on January 6, begins one or
two days before. Trotters soup, stuffed leaves and pastry desserts
are the highlights of the Dzınunt dinner table."
Christmas Greeting from Official Authorities
Durmazguler then explains the importance of celebrating Christmas in
Anatolia: "In Anatolia's warm and sincere environment, we share both
our joy and sorrow, and connect to each other with strong ties. Our
Muslim neighbours are also aware of the fact that Christmas is a
special day for us, and always come to greet us. In recent years,
besides our neighbours, the Governor, Mayor and Police Chief have also
visited us at our homes and presented their greetings for Christmas."
Diyarbakır: Dzınunt at the Syriac Church
Diyarbakır is another city that had a large Armenian population
in the past, and both Christmas and New Year are celebrated with
great joy and excitement. However, since not many Armenians live in
Diyarbakır anymore, the celebrations are held at the Syriac Ancient
Virgin Mary Church. Let us lend an ear to Melike Dara Gunal, as she
tells us about Christmas and New Year celebrations in Diyarbakır:
"We have no religious official at the Surp Giragos Armenian Church, so
we can't hold mass. That's why we often take part in mass at the Syriac
Ancient Virgin Mary Church. Or for a more entertaining and crowded
festival, we go to Mardin. Since there are no Armenian religious
officials in the region, many of our traditions have commingled
with those of our brother Syriac people. For instance, celebrating
Christmas on December 25 rather than January 6... It is pretty much
the same as everywhere else in the country. And people are prejudiced,
since they don't know the difference between Christmas and New Year."
'They think New Year and Christmas is the same thing'
Gunal explains that many people in Diyarbakır think that New Year
and Christmas is the same thing, and are surprised when they find out
that they are, in fact, separate days: "They think it's the same day,
so many conservative Muslims are against celebrating this Christian
tradition. It is worth seeing their surprise when they find out that
Christmas is actually on December 25. Some even think they have missed
out on New Year celebrations for nothing, because others have told
them it is a Christian tradition."
Wine: The centrepiece of Christmas tables
Melike Dara Gunal tells us that in addition to turkey, that is
synonymous with Christmas, the special dishes of the city such as
kaburga [spare ribs] and tas kebabı [lamb stew] also feature on
Armenian dinner tables in Diyarbakır. Gunal adds that wine and meze
are the indispensable centrepieces of Christmas and New Year tables
for the Christians of Diyarbakır.
Gunal states that, following the renovation of the Surp Giragos
Church, New Year celebrations have been held at Church for the past
two years, but there are those who prefer to celebrate this special
day at home: "For me, it is special to celebrate this day together
with our Syriac sisters and brothers, although our New Year is on
January 6... However, there are many Islamised Armenians who do
not observe this tradition... Christmas is another matter, there
are very few Christian Armenians in Diyarbakır, so there is no
mass celebration. But we have gathered for the last two years and
celebrated together."
Mersin: Arab Christians celebrate Christmas together
There is a small Arab Christian community in Mersin, who of course
celebrates Christmas. Religious official Ä°spir CoÅ~_kun Teymur,
also known as Priest Spiro, of the Mersin Greek Orthodox Church,
told us about the atmosphere in Mersin during Christmas and New Year:
"Families keep religious traditions alive within the household. We
perform Christmas mass at our Church with our entire congregation
in Mersin. On the second day of Christmas, we organize a Christmas
Ball in a hall. At Christmas and New Year, families prepare menus
formed of dishes unique to our community and the region. These often
include meatballs with stuffing, stuffed turkey and various grilled
meat dishes."
The city also observes Christmas
Teymur adds that the people of Mersin are aware of the importance
of Christmas for Christians, and that district municipalities hang
up Christmas lights along the main streets for the festive period:
"In addition to the main streets, large stores and workplaces also
hang up Christmas decorations. There is clearly a different atmosphere
compared to the rest of the year."
Mardin's 'Pifkana hane': the clown in town...
Mardin, where there is a large Syriac Christian community, is a
city where Christmas is celebrated with great excitement. Ferit
Altınsu tells us that everyone goes to church early on December
25 and explains the atmosphere in Midyat as follows: "As people
flow out of church, the first greetings are presented among the
community. Then people take their place in the church hall, and the
men, the bishop, the priest and all the other religious clergy sit
for a while to congratulate each other. Then people return home,
and greet their family members. Often, after church, a main course
featuring a meat dish is eaten rather than breakfast, then house
visits begin. Children and youngsters form groups to visit houses
and to celebrate the Christmas festival of the families in town."
Altınsu tells us that New Year celebrations are very colourful, and
that they also have a figure known as 'pifkana hane', who is similar
to the modern-day clown, who displays certain performances on December
31: "There aren't many left today, but the performers we call 'pifkana
hane' and are similar to clowns, form groups of two and visit people's
homes on New Year's Eve, and entertain the children with various
short sketches. In return, they would collect some dried and fresh
fruit from these households, and then distribute them to the needy."
http://www.agos.com.tr/en/article/10063/a-silent-christmas-celebration-anatolian-christians
From: A. Papazian