Abstract
BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ABOUT HIZIR AND HIDIRELLEZ IN DENIZLI REGION
One of the most common beliefs and practices in the Turkish belief system from the past to the present is the beliefs and practices about Hızır and its continuation, Hıdırellez. It is still possible to see these beliefs and practices vividly in the entire Turkish world. Hızır, which is accepted as a religious motif in Turkish culture, is a hero who emerged as a synthesis of the guides with a blue or white beard, seen in pre-Islamic Turkish belief systems, by taking the form of a white bearded dervish with a white beard or white clothes. For that reason, it contains some features of both pre-Islamic Turkish belief systems and the religion of Islam. Hıdırellez is a word that emerged as a result of the combination and fusion of the words Hızır and İlyas in folk language. Believing that Hızır and İlyas came together on May 6, Turks celebrate this day under the name of Hıdırellez Festival with various activities. This is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the regions where Turkish culture is kept alive. In this study, the situation of beliefs and practices about Hızır and Hıdırellez, which have an important place in Turkish culture, in Denizli region will be discussed with information compiled from field researches and written sources. With this study, it is aimed to transfer the beliefs and practices about Hızır and Hıdırellez, which are decreasing or changing in time, to future generations by recording the recent past and present situation.
Keywords
Denizli, Hızır, Hıdırellez, Faith, Ritüel
