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Intangible Cultural Heritage
Mesir Macunu Festival
Mesir Macunu Festival
Mesir Macunu Festival
The Mesir Macunu festival, which is held in the Turkish city of Manisa, is a celebration to commemorate the recovery of Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who was cured of the disease by inventing a special paste consisting of a unique combination of herbs and spices. The Sultan then, after the Sultana's recovery, ordered that the paste to be disseminated to the public.
Therefore, from March 21 to 24 each year, the paste is prepared by a chef and apprentices from 41 fresh spices and herbs according to traditional practices. A team of 14 women then wrap the paste in small pieces of paper, and after that 28 imams and apprentices bless it before scattering the paste from the top of the minaret and domes of the Sultan Mosque on thousands of people who come from different parts of Turkey to compete to pick up the pieces as they fall.
Many believe that by doing so, their desires to marry, work and have children will be fulfilled within a year. The festival is interspersed with a 45-piece orchestra dressed in traditional clothes and performing historical Ottoman music while preparing the dough and throughout the festival days.
Mesir Macunu Festival was inscribed in 2012 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Turkey.
Therefore, from March 21 to 24 each year, the paste is prepared by a chef and apprentices from 41 fresh spices and herbs according to traditional practices. A team of 14 women then wrap the paste in small pieces of paper, and after that 28 imams and apprentices bless it before scattering the paste from the top of the minaret and domes of the Sultan Mosque on thousands of people who come from different parts of Turkey to compete to pick up the pieces as they fall.
Many believe that by doing so, their desires to marry, work and have children will be fulfilled within a year. The festival is interspersed with a 45-piece orchestra dressed in traditional clothes and performing historical Ottoman music while preparing the dough and throughout the festival days.
Mesir Macunu Festival was inscribed in 2012 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Turkey.
by Arieswings, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mesir Macunu Festival
Date of Inscription
2012
See also
Spring Celebration, Hıdrellez
Nawrouz
Mevlevi Sema Ceremony
Arts of the Meddah, Public Storytellers
Karagöz
Âşıklık (Minstrelsy) Tradition
Traditional Sohbet Meetings
Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi Ritual
Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival
Ceremonial Keşkek Tradition
Traditional Craftsmanship of Çini-Making
Turkish Coffee Culture and Tradition
Ebru, Turkish Art of Marbling
Whistled Language
Traditional Turkish Archery
Hüsn-i Hat, Traditional Calligraphy in Islamic Art in Turkey
Heritage of Dede Qorqud/Korkyt Ata/Dede Korkut, Epic Culture, Folk Tales and Music
Traditional Intelligence and Strategy Game: Togyzqumalaq, Toguz Korgool, Mangala/Göçürme
Art of Miniature
Flatbread Making and Sharing Culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka
Traditional Ahlat Stonework
Sericulture and Traditional Production of Silk for Weaving
Telling Tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/ Molla Nesreddin/ Molla Ependi/ Apendi/ Afendi Kozhanasyr Anecdotes
Culture of Çay (tea), a Symbol of Identity, Hospitality and Social Interaction
Traditional Knowledge, Methods and Practices Concerning Olive Cultivation
Art of illumination: Təzhib/Tazhib/Zarhalkori/Tezhip/Naqqoshlik
Craftsmanship and Performing Art of Balaban/Mey
Craftsmanship of Mother of Pearl Inlay
Iftar/Eftari/Iftar/Iftor and its Socio-Cultural Traditions