Boogie bears and giant trees

Have you ever noticed how kids love trees? A lot of children in İstanbul miss out on having a tree house and passing their time hiding in it, imagining all kinds of things and being secretive. It’s all about feelings.

Some Today’s Zaman Readers have asked about superstitions that some Turks believe and their origins.

 Have you ever noticed ribbons or pieces of clothing tied on tree branches?

 How many times have you seen a blue eye pinned on a child or hanging over the entrance of a building?

 Has anyone told you that it is wrong to compliment a baby?

 Has your Turkish friend taken you to the tomb of Telli Baba in Sariyer?

Some of the superstitions you come across here may seem odd if you have never traveled further East into Inner Asia crossing Iran, and into the Wahkan Corridor, and then the Pamirs and Hindu Kush mountains on to Xinjiang Province to reach Mongolia and Siberia. They originated further east among nomadic tribes with shamanistic beliefs who later converted to Islam.

Turkey has always attracted travelers from every direction. Over the centuries the landmass of Asia Minor, heart of the great multicultural Ottoman empire and now the Republic of Turkey, experienced waves of migrations, in which one civilization displaced another, leaving a unique and glorious cultural heritage.

The ancestors of the modern Turks were nomadic tribesmen who lived on the steppes of Inner Asia in the sixth century. Over the next thousand years, after a series of conquests, different Turkic clans created a succession of multicultural, polyethnic empires that stretched from China to the Mediterranean. Even though Islam spread across the region and became strong, a sort of syncretism happened in which Islam, combined with folklore and superstition, was embraced. So what about the giant trees and the rest?

Giant trees:

Tying something on a tree and making a wish began deep in the forest in Siberia, Yakut nomads believed giant trees were especially sacred. People believed you should leave offerings of coins, scarves and ribbons. The belief is related to ancient ideas of harmony and equilibrium with nature.

Evil eye:

The Yakut religion derived from Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic and Russian ideas. Yakut shamanism is a Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic blend of belief in the supernatural, with emphasis on the ability of “white,” or benign, shamans to intercede, through prayers and séances, with spirits for the sake of humans. “Black” shamans, communing with evil spirits, could both benefit and harm humans.

Curses:

In Turkey, the evil eye is considered to be the main cause of many misfortunes, and this can be seen everywhere, with the blue and white bead used to protect against it. Blue eyes are believed to be a natural protection against the evil eye. I often find that people who are poor and less educated tend to stare at my eyes, which are big and blue.

Jinn:

Westerners often do not understand the idea about cin (pronounced “jinn”), which are evil spirits. Most Turks take them seriously. This is why it is wrong to compliment a baby. Turks purposely say a baby is ugly, or call it Satılmış (”sold”), so the jinn will not want to steal it away or make it ill.

Visiting to pray at a saint’s tomb:

A number of my friends visit the tomb of Telli Baba. Different tombs are believed to be effective for different requests, such as good crops, conception, healing, finding a marriage partner, passing an exam or getting a car. Normally when a Turk visits the tomb he makes a vow and a bargain with God. If his prayer comes true he will do some righteous deed. You’ll notice that at a holy place, such as a tomb or shrine, Turks tie a string or a strip of cloth on a sacred tree to make a wish.