Abstract
FROM A SUFİ’S REUNİON WİTH HİS HOMELAND TO THE PRESENT: MANİSA-AKHİSAR CAGLAK PROMENADE/FESTİVAL
Akhisar, which is one of the districts of Manisa with a deep-rooted history, hosted states and principalities from different communities such as the Hittites, Akkadians, Lydians, Byzantines, Sarukhanids and the Ottoman Empire. One of the centers of attraction in every period due to its historical background and geographical location, Akhisar brought up many important figures like scholars, poets, and sufis who helped shape the community. One of the Sufis of Akhisar, Sheikh Îsâ lived between 851 H.-1447-48 A.D./936 H.- 1530-31 A.D. A celebration was held at the Caglak Creek in 881 H./1476-1477 A.D. by local people because Sheikh Isa who had an important place within the community returned to Akhisar this year after completing his education. The Caglak Promenade, which has been traditionalized and organized on the same dates every year since that time, is celebrated in the form of a festival, and has become more comprehensive in accordance with the conditions of the age and the needs of the society nowadays.
In this article, Çaglak Promenade/Festival, which was at first celebrated as a promenade in Akhisar district of Manisa and later turned into a festival, and which was held for the 559th time in 2018, is discussed. Firstly, information about the mausoleum and the life of Sheikh Isa, which was instrumental in the emergence of the promenade, is introduced and the beliefs and practices that emerged around the mausoleum are transferred. Next, the structure of Caglak Promenade/Festival is explained under the subtitles of name, time, place, food and beverages, entertainment forms/activities, clothing-organization scheme, functions and execution order/program. In the last part of the article, the relationship between Bosnia and Herzegovina Ayvaz Dede Festival and Akhisar Caglak Festival is examined which were declared to be sister celebrations in 2009.
Keywords
Manisa, Akhisar, Sheikh Isa, Çaglak Promenade/Festival, Ayvaz Dede.
