The Festival of Whirling Dervishes, Konya (December 10th - December 17th, 2009)Back to the events list
The yearly festival of whirling dervishes is a colorful and, at the same time, a mystical event dedicated to the great poet, thinker, and saint – Mowlānā (Rumi), who was a real historical figure and lived in the 13th Century. The date of the festival was not chosen arbitrarily. The followers of Rumi's teachings cherish the memory of the great philosopher during an extraordinary musical show.
In the middle of December a small town – Konya, Turkey is flooded by thousands of tourists and pilgrims. All the little shops and stores, whose count is in the thousands, put up posters on their walls with the symbols and colors of the festival. Little figures of whirling dervishes are sold all over the place. The whole week of the festival the entry to the Mowlānā Mausoleum is free for all. Many Muslims, especially from Iran arrive at the tomb to pray to their Saint, others come to cherish his memory, and for the majority of the tourists – it is a visit to a entertaining show and a short educational excursion.
Currently, "Sema" - the actual ceremony, which literally means "the listening", includes among other things, dances of the dervishes, and is conducted not only in the Mowlānā Museum, but on a big sports stadium as well. The old place for the ceremony cannot fit all the guests anymore, which is why a decision was made to relocate a part of the festival of whirling dervishes in Konya ceremonies so that people can get a chance to see the whole magic of the shows.
The shows starts with a reading of a hymn in honor of the Prophet, written by Rumi himself. Following the hymn reading the concert hall is filled with beautiful sounds of music, and the dancers enter the scene. Their dresses are identical: white robes, long skirts going all the way to the floor, the skirts flow during whirling; the dancers also wear red conic hats. Every element of the dervish costume carries a symbolic connotation, much like the whole movement during the Sema ritual. Starting from the lower part of the costume symbolizes the savan, the upper part symbolizes the tomb, and the hats symbolize the tombstones. The whole ensemble symbolizes the unity with God following death. There is also a solo dancer in the center who plays the role of the sun, and the Dervishes whirling around him are the moons and stars. There are four distinct dances that are performed during the three hour presentation. Every dance has a distinct connotation. The dances are associated with the four seasons of the year, the four essential elements that make up all living matter, and the four ages of a human.
The dancers perform whirling transitions across the stage, constantly spinning in a specific rhythm. They maintain their balance and an unchanged position relative to each other, regardless of the fact that the rotations are performed counter clockwise. All the performances are accompanied by music that is extremely difficult to compare with anything for that matter. The music is similar to the songs of angels nobody ever heard such beautiful flute melodies. At the same time the music is melodic and dynamic, following the rhythmic beat of the drums. The most impressive part of the show is the closing scene, when the dervishes fall on their knees, finishing in this manner the Sema ritual.
The dance of the Whirling Dervishes cannot be compared with any other show, and most certainly will not leave any one viewer indifferent, regardless of their faith – Muslim, Christian, or atheist. The festival is primarily about art, and as such, it is tolerant and available for everyone, regardless of religion, race, or political affiliation. A lot of the people in the viewer seats move to a state of trance together with the dancers, receiving aesthetic satisfaction from the show itself, from what they see and hear, as well as from getting enriched spiritually from feeling God's energy and the unity of all the people at the festival. Of course, the public sometimes perceives the festival as a simple colorful show, much like any other show for that matter, however, the Festival of the Whirling Dervishes still remains one of the most popular shows in the world, attracting the attention of the human essence, and opens the hearts of viewers to the Beautiful and the Mysterious.
Back to the events list
