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WHAT IS "HIDRELLEZ"?
It is said that whatever you wish for on that
night, will come true!
 "Hıdrellez",
is one of the seasonal festivals of all Turkish world
which is celebrated as the first day of the "early summer".
It is also "day of Hızır", the day on which prophets
Hızır and Ilyas met with each other on earth. The words Hızır
and İlyas have since fused together pronounced as Hıdrellez.
Hıdrellez Day falls on May 5-6. There are various theories
about the origin of Hızır and Hıdrellez. Various ceremonies
and rituals have been performed for various gods with the
arrival of spring or summer in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran,
Greece and in fact all eastern Mediterranean countries since
ancient times. One widespread belief suggests that Hızır is
a prophet who has attained immortality by drinking the water
of life (ab-ı hayat), and who has reached God, and wanders
around among people from time to time, especially in the spring,
and helps people in difficulty and distributes plenty and
health. The identity of Hızır, the place and the time he lived
in are not certain. Hızır is the symbol of spring, and the
new life which emerges with it. In Turkey, where belief in
Hızır is widespread, the characteristics attributed to him
are as follows:
• Hızır rushes to the aid of people in difficulty
and grants peoples’ wishes.
• He always helps well-meaning, benevolent people.
• He brings plenty and wealth wherever he stops.
• He brings remedies to those who are troubled and health
to the sick.
• He helps plants to grow, animals to reproduce, and human
beings to grow strong
• He helps improve peoples’ fortune.
• He is the symbol of good omens.
• He has the God-given power of working miracles.
Hıdrellez Festival, which is still celebrated
with grand ceremonies in Anatolia, has been celebrated since
ancient times. Although it is celebrated under different names
and in different times, it is possible to see the motifs of
Hıdrellez in many places. The arrival of spring and awakening
of nature have been perceived by mankind as a phenomenon to
be celebrated. In fact, Hıdrellez, as a spring festival, has
a universal character.
 "The
Hıdrellez at Ahırkapı" activities
The Armada Hotel has first started to organize a semi-contemporary
“Hidrellez” at Ahırkapı streets and invited all of Istanbul’s
citizens to come and participate in 1997. For the last couple
of years “The Hıdrellez at Ahırkapı Streets” event has been
turned to a collective civil community activity. Each year
the activities begin on Ahirkapi Street and spread to the
adjacent streets on 5th of May. Towards midnight the traditional
fires will be jumped over and the wishes will be attached
on the traditional Nahils. -The individual wishes are written
on a piece of paper and attached on the Nahil´s that you will
find in front of the Armada Garage.-Nahil is a symbolic "wish-tree"
and an ornament from Ottoman culture. The ones at the Ahirkapi
Street were first designed and used during an "Earth
Day" celebration on April 22, 2002. Since then they are
being used as the "wish tree" of the Hıdrellez spring
festivals which is organized by "The Association of Ahırkapi
Hidrellez Festivals" and supported by local Eminönü Municipality
as well as by Istanbul Governorship.
All the traditional spring foods and drinks
(both the traditional ones and the brewery) are sold through
the street-buffets, while the local musicians perform gypsy
and Balkan music.In order to get food and drink at Ahırkapı
Street you should buy the coupons for food (the white ones)
and brewery (the red ones) first. These coupons will be treated
like cash money! The
Ahirkapi Roman Orchestra, which is consisting of the neighboring
musician groups of Ahirkapi community, performs street concerts
along with the guest performers... Küçük
Hasan from Lüleburgaz a zurna genius and the drum master
Tamer Kum and his group come every year. Last year The
Ahirkapı Junior Orchestra (the children of the “Great
Roman Orchestra” members), The "Macedon
Koçani Orkestar", Buzuki
Orhan, Yannis
and Gorkem Saulis; Semaver
Theatre Company, Goksenin
Ileri Istanbul Songs Group joined and and DJ
Shantel performed along with the others during whole evening.
1) Eminönü Municipality Social Facilities
at Ahırkapı Street
Food & Drinks: 19.00 – 23.00
Musical Events: 20.00 – 23.00
* Babaeski Roman Orchestra
* The Ritm Academy by Ahmet the Egyptian
* Buzuki Orhan
2) Armada Garage – Efes Venue
Musical events: 20.00 – 23.00
* “Koçani Orkestar”
* Ahırkapı Great Roman Orchestra
* “Pire Mehmet” of Ahırkapı and Roman Orchestra
* Macedon Street Folk Orchestra
* “Küçük Hasan” a Zurna Genious from Lüleburgaz & Tamer
Kum, a Drum Master
3) Anadolu Folk Ensemble Venue
Musical Events: 19.30 – 23.00
* Göksenin İleri & Istanbul Songs Group
4) Kalyon Hotel Venue
Food & Drinks: 19.00 – 23.00
Musical Events: 20.00 – 23.00
* Macedon Street Folk Orchestra
* “Koçani Orkestar”
* Trakya All Stars
* Sefarad Sami
5) Cankurtaran CarPark Venue
Food & Drinks: 22.00 – 23.30
Musical Events: 22.00 – 00.00
* Dj Funky C
* Ayben
* Burhan Öcal, the worldly reknown percussionist!…
This year’s event will start by 19:00
with the “Hıdrellez Parade” at Ahırkapı Street and end at
00:30 with the traditional street fires on May 5th, Saturday
evening.
So make a wish, put it on Nahıl
and enjoy the Festival!
If you can't don't worry! You could also send your wish online
through our "Wishes"
page!
"TRANSPORTATION
MAP #1": Hidrellez Festival Event Plan
"TRANSPORTATION
MAP #2": Hidrellez Festival Car Parks
"TRANSPORTATION
MAP #3": Transportation Alternatives to Hidrellez Festival
Venue
This year the “Hıdrellez 2008” street Spring
Festival will be celebrated on May 5th in Ahırkapı. As it
will be on a Monday night, the traffic conditions might be
better comparing to weekend but in any case we recommend visitors
to prefer public transport to and from the venue so that they
will travel easier than the ones who drive their own cars.
1) The visitors who want
to come to and return from the venue, 4. Levent – Taksim metro
line, Taksim – Kabataş funicular line and Kabataş – Zeytinburnu
tramway trips will be extended 1 hour more until 01:00 A.M.
2) A bus service that will
be available within each 30 minutes from Ahırkapı sea shore
road, to:
Aksaray direction (in a way that could be linked to minibus
services) and Kabataş direction (in a way that could be linked
to funicular & Metro lines to Taksim and Levent metro
stations)
until 01:00 A.M.
If in any case you would like to come to “Hıdrellez
2008” with your private vehicles, there are some special tips
as they could be found in the "TRANSPORTATION
MAP #2"; the number of the car parks is 4:
1. Eminonu
2. Sarayburnu
3. Sultanahmet Square
4. Çatladıkapı
5. Yenikapı IDO
In order to park in these areas without facing
with any problem please take care of the following tips:
a. You could come by your private vehicles
until Aksaray, then turn to Unkapanı direction and then reach
to Eminönü Square. When you are there, you can park at the
“Municipal Car Park” (500 cars capacity) next to the new Chamber
of Commerce. Then you have two options; either you take the
tramway to Sultanahmet and reach at Akbıyık and Ahırkapı on
foot within 5 minutes or you come to Cankurtaran by (one stop)
train.
b. You could come by your private vehicles
until Eminönü. Then by following the sea shore road you can
enter into the Sarayburnu Car Park area. After parking there
you can reach at the venue (Ahırkapı) on foot within 20 minutes.
You can park at the “Municipal Car Park” (500
cars capacity) next to the new Chamber of Commerce. Then you
have two options; either you take the tramway to Sultanahmet
and reach at Ahırkapı on foot within 5 minutes or you come
to Cankurtaran by (one stop) train.
You can take the “Üsküdar – Eminönü”
or “Kadıköy – Eminönü” boat for Eminönü. Then you have two
options; either you take the tramway to Sultanahamet and reach
at Ahırkapı on foot within 5 minutes or you come to Cankurtaran
by (one stop) train.
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