International Week - Day One - Turkey

Today was the first day of what we are calling "International Week" in our classroom. We are very fortunate to have parents volunteer to come in everyday this week and share their traditions, customs, culture, and foods with our class. Today was the country Turkey. Mrs. B. brought in books, clothing, pictures and other artifacts native to her homeland. The children were listening attentively as she explained that it takes 24 hours to get there from here. And how they barter for goods they may want. It is customary to have tea at 5:00 p.m. and to have lots of food for company when they visit. Mrs. B. made baklava, rice wrapped with grape leaves, and Turkish coffee. She brought in a special treat called "Turkish Delight" (a candy) which is always served to company. Mrs. B. shared the popular children's authors and books with the class and gifted our class a book and puppets. Below is a summary that she would also like to share. We also learned a new phrase Assalamu Alaikum- (Peace be upon you) . Thank you for making the first day of our International Week one for the children to remember.

Turkey has very rich folkloric traditions which have been kept alive for centuries due to the characteristics of the Turkish people. Storytelling brings many different things to each one of us, but growing up in the rural parts of Turkey you are bound to see plays performed by puppets that tell the stories of Turkeys historical past. Puppetry is a life-long tradition in Turkey .Very important figures in Turkish folklore are Karagoz and his friend Hacivat, who depict events from the daily lives of the Turkish people in the form of the "Traditional Turkish Shadow Theater". In the early parts of the 17^th century "shadow puppets" lead to the development of oral folk literature throughout the Turkey in which professional storyteller's recounted popular tales using puppets. Some story-tellers would even accompany themselves on musical instruments or make dramatic gestures at appropriate points in the tale.

Another popular figure in Turkish folklore is Nasreddin Hoca who reflects the peculiarities of the Turkish people. Nasreddin Hoca is the best-known figure who has many legendary encounters with kings and common people. While seeming to act the fool, Nasreddin Hoca actually displays the folly of the other. His stories all hold a moral or lesson.