Foça International Meddah and Fairy Tale Festival Has Started

The International Meddah and Fairy Tale Festival, held in Foça, Izmir, between 10 -14 August 2022, has started. The first day program that started with the event cortege; puppet and tale workshop, tales for children, meddah and tale workshop, parables from meddahs and lived Foça stories of the local narrator were completed. Meddah show on the festival excursion boat, in the coffeehouses of the districts and villages, meddah parables and tale narrations, workshops, masters. sohbet will continue with activities such as

Foça International Meddah and Fairy Tale Festival, supported by Atatürk Cultural Center Presidency and Foça Municipality, started under the coordination of Tomorrow Association. Artists, including an Azerbaijani meddah, performed their first day shows in the garden of Reha Midilli Primary School, squares and Reha Midilli Cultural Center. children; While listening to the tales from the narrators' language with their traditional clothes with pleasure and curiosity, the elders remembered the past with traditional meddah parables that had sunk into oblivion, and the heroines of the liberation war with the presentations of women litigants.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RIGHT MAN

Tourism expert and local history researcher Sebahattin Karaca, who made a speech at the Reha Midilli Cultural Center within the scope of the program, told lived stories about regional customs and traditions. Sebahattin Karaca, who also narrates a wedding tradition from the village of Kozbeyli, which was founded by the Kuzu Bey during the Saruhanlı Principality; “The groomsmen had duties. For example, one's duty was not to have the groom's shoes stolen. If he steals, the best man won't be looked at for months. If he intended to marry, the girl would not be given. Once the shoes were stolen. It was the bride's sister who stole. His eye was on the best man. Sağdıç's heart was with another girl from Kozbeyli. They were separated for a long time simply because of the stealing of shoes. They couldn't get married." Said.

The first day program ended with the performance of Nene Hatun by female meddah Sema Lermi Doğanhan.

LAST DAY LAST DAY

Ümit Görgülü, Chairman of the Tomorrow Social Development, Education, Culture, Art Association and Festival coordinator, stated that he was originally a psychological consultant but did his master's degree in theater, and that fairy tales played an important role in our recovery. Ümit Görgülü; “In our shows, Meddah Women's Group, which we established as Foça Dünya Sahne, takes place in our shows as well as our professional storytellers and storytellers. Our Sema teacher just played Nene Hatun. In the following days, our shows will continue for five days in accordance with the tradition of meditating for children and adults in the villages. We think of the Meddah Festival as a traveling festival in Turkey. Because the meddah has very valuable savings in all regions. We want them to be valued and passed on to new generations. We have undertaken such a mission. Hopefully we will be able to do this in time. We thought of the last day of our festival as the day of loyalty. We will do a show at Foça Nursing Home. Because they were the ones who told the tales. It was they who conveyed the Meddahism. We grew up with their stories. We want to put on this show as a fidelity to them.”