Cultural Post Five:
I really like this picture, pulled from Hurriyet Daily News (a Turkish news website). It depicts the world’s largest “carpet” of live tulips, in Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul. The pattern represents Turkish rugs, one of Turkey’s most iconic products. In Istanbul, a tulip festival is held to usher in spring, and this carpet is one of the main attractions. Tulips originated in the Ottoman Empire, not in Holland, as is commonly believed. The Turks brought tulips to Holland in the 16th century. Even the name, “tulip,” originated from the old Turkish word for “turban,” referencing the shape of the flower. This beautiful display of living art represents a significant part of Turkish history and culture, and it celebrates Turkish identity by using only Turkish tulips and patterning them in the design of a Turkish rug.
Cultural Post Six:
I found this recipe for a Turkish beverage called Salep: 1 tablespoon salep, 2 tablespoons sugar, 4 cups milk (whole), Garnish: cinnamon. You mix the salep with the sugar and milk and stir it on the stove for around 10 minutes, until thickened. Salep is a type of starch that comes from wild orchid tubers that gives the Salep drink it’s distinct earthy flavor. However, due to the popularity of this drink, wild orchids are harder and harder to find, and Turkey has put a ban on the exportation of salep. Over the centuries, Salep has grown in popularity, thanks to its supposed healing effect on chest conditions like bronchitis and issues pertaining to heart. In addition, Salep is said to help raise energy levels and sexual desire and help constipation. It seems to be a sort of cure-all!
Cultural Post Seven:
https://www.shazam.com/charts/top-100/turkey
This link goes to the list of the current top 100 songs in Turkey. I had a good time scrolling through the list of songs and seeing what people in Turkey are listening to. There seems to be a good mix of songs in Turkish and by Turkish artists, but English/American artists like Ariana Grande, A$AP Rocky, Billie Eilish, and Florence + The Machine are also very popular. The prevalence of English music doesn’t surprise me, as my Turkish penpal and I talked about what kind of music we listen to and he enjoys a lot of American music. I think I was surprised at just how many of the songs were in Turkish and by Turkish artists. I can tend to think that everybody listens to American or British music, because that’s kind of all I hear about. That’s very ethnocentric of me! Of course other countries are going to have popular songs in their native languages! Those artists just don’t have the kind of reach American or English artists do, which is probably why I hadn’t heard of them.
Cultural Post Eight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FctOLUcY0A
This link shows a Turkish folk dance competition, complete with traditional costumes and music. I’m not sure exactly what region these dancers/costumes are from, but I know folk dance still a common art form. I almost found the comment section more interesting than the actual dance, though! Many of the comments were either praising the Turks and dissing the Greeks, or arguing that this dance was stolen from the Greeks. I find that fascinating! As one of my other cultural posts briefly examined, the Greeks and Turks have had a fraught relationship over the centuries. They share similar cultural aspects, like folk dance, that vary only slightly from each other. So this dance, or something similar, might well be found in Greece. Every situation is an opportunity for the Turks to one-up the Greeks, or vice versa.
Replies