Kakava is a celebration event of

Romani people in Turkey The Romani people in Turkey ( tr, Türkiye'deki Romanlar) or Turks of Romani Background ( tr, Roman kökenli Türk) are Turkish citizen and the biggest subgroup of the Turkish Roma, they are Sunni muslims, mostly of Sufism branch,https://acikbi ...

. Its place of origin is

East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace ( tr, Doğu Trakya or simply ''Trakya''; el, Ανατολική Θράκη, ''Anatoliki Thraki''; bg, Източна Тракия, ''Iztochna Trakiya''), also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the pa ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Events

The belief that a Savior ''Baba Fingo'' would come and rescue them is immortal in the

Romani folklore Romani folklore encompasses the folktales, myths, oral traditions, and legends of the Romani people. The Romani were nomadic when they departed India during the Middle Ages. They migrated widely, particularly to Europe, while other groups stay ...

of the

Romanlar in Turkey The Romani people in Turkey ( tr, Türkiye'deki Romanlar) or Turks of Romani Background ( tr, Roman kökenli Türk) are Turkish citizen and the biggest subgroup of the Turkish Roma, they are Sunni muslims, mostly of Sufism branch,https://acikbil ...

. It is believed he was a Commander of the Pharaoh-Troops from

Military of ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the northern reaches of the Nile River in Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the fir ...

. Turkish Roma go down to the edge of the river

Tundzha The Tundzha ( bg, Тунджа , tr, Tunca , el, Τόνζος ) is a river in Bulgaria and Turkey (known in antiquity as the Tonsus) and the most significant tributary of the Maritsa, emptying into it on Turkish territory near Edirne. The rive ...

, at the night of 5–6 May that they decided as the day "Rescue Event" had happened. They put candles in the River and wash their hands, face and feet in the water, for the memory of the miraculous day. The main source of joy is the immortality of the Savior Baba Fingo. In Turkish a saying: ''Baba Fingo Gelecek, Bütün Dertler Bitecek'' (Father Fingo Will Come, All Troubles Will Be Over). For that reason, they entertain madly.

Kakava in Turkey

's western cities of

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

and

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city within Kırklareli Province in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. Name It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name. The Byzantine Greeks called it Sarànta Ekklisiès (''Σαράντα Ε� ...

, Kakava is celebrated joyfully. Kakava celebration in Edirne nowadays takes the form of an international festival, which is also supported by the governor and the mayor of Edirne. The official part of the Kakava festival takes place in Sarayiçi, the place where traditional

Kırkpınar Kırkpınar is a Turkish oil wrestling ( tr, yağlı güreş) tournament where Pehlivans (wrestlers) compete for three days. It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey since 1360. In the finals held on the last day, the first ...

oil-wrestling tournament is held each year. After light the

Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

and jump over it. Music playing and Belly dancing is performed. The official part ends after the distribution of rice dish

pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techniq ...

to the around 5,000 attendees. The celebration continues in the dawn of the next day at the bank of Tunca River.

References

{{commons category, Kakava Romani culture Romani folklore Edirne Province Kırklareli Province May observances Festivals in Turkey Romani in Turkey Turkic mythology Eastern Thrace

Events

Kakava in Turkey

See also

References