The Scraft Xoe Dance at the Kin Pan Then festival

The adherents of the ritual Then master prepare for the Kin Pang Then Festival

The Then master and his adherents dance around the sacred tree at the Kin Pan Then festival

The Then master and his adherents make the sacred tree for the Kin Pan Then festival

The Then master instructs his adherents how to prepare for the Kin Pan Then festival

Card Cotton dance at night at the Kin Pan Then festival

Mesir Macunu (paste) Festival has been annually celebrated for 472 years during March 21st-24th of each year. The roots of Festival go back to a historical anecdote about the mesir macunu, Hafsa Sultan, mother of the Ottoman Ruler Suleiman the Magnificent contracts an incurable disease. In an effort to find a cure for this disease, Merkez Efendi, the Chief Physician of the Madrasah of Sultan Mosque concocts a special experimental recipe of a paste with 41 different herbs and spices. This special paste to be thenceforth known as the mesir macunu (paste) cures Hafsa Sultan rapidly. Hafsa Sultan then asks to disseminate this paste to the wider public, hoping that it would ensure the well being of each and everyone. Wrapped in small pieces of paper, the paste is then “scattered” to the community, from Sultan Mosque. Since then, at each and every anniversary of this event, people gathering around Sultan Mosque commemorate the invention of this healing paste, through a series of events.\nThe festival begins with the “mixing” and cooking of the mesir macunu, prepared in respective proportions and mixtures in line with the traditional know-how. Blessed with wishes for cure, the paste is then packed up by women according to the traditional knowledge. It is then scattered among the public from the top of the minaret and the domes of the Sultan Mosque. Thousands of people coming from different regions of Turkey compete with each other, in a challenge to grab these pastes in the air, before they finally hit the ground.

The SEAC team held a seminar at Fatumea, Covalima municipality, with Tebe Otas-Uluk practitioners and local authorities. The event emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional Tebe Otas-Uluk dance and ensuring its transmission to future generations. The dance involves two concentric circles—men in the inner circle and women in the outer—holding hands as they perform. Highlights included dancers in traditional attire, cultural discussions, and collaborative moments captured in photos. The seminar showcased the rich heritage of the Fatumea community.

The SEAC team held a seminar at Fatumea, Covalima municipality, with Tebe Otas-Uluk practitioners and local authorities. The event emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional Tebe Otas-Uluk dance and ensuring its transmission to future generations. The dance involves two concentric circles—men in the inner circle and women in the outer—holding hands as they perform. Highlights included dancers in traditional attire, cultural discussions, and collaborative moments captured in photos. The seminar showcased the rich heritage of the Fatumea community.

The SEAC team held a seminar at Fatumea, Covalima municipality, with Tebe Otas-Uluk practitioners and local authorities. The event emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional Tebe Otas-Uluk dance and ensuring its transmission to future generations. The dance involves two concentric circles—men in the inner circle and women in the outer—holding hands as they perform. Highlights included dancers in traditional attire, cultural discussions, and collaborative moments captured in photos. The seminar showcased the rich heritage of the Fatumea community.

The SEAC team held a seminar at Fatumea, Covalima municipality, with Tebe Otas-Uluk practitioners and local authorities. The event emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional Tebe Otas-Uluk dance and ensuring its transmission to future generations. The dance involves two concentric circles—men in the inner circle and women in the outer—holding hands as they perform. Highlights included dancers in traditional attire, cultural discussions, and collaborative moments captured in photos. The seminar showcased the rich heritage of the Fatumea community.

The SEAC team held a seminar at Fatumea, Covalima municipality, with Tebe Otas-Uluk practitioners and local authorities. The event emphasized the importance of preserving the traditional Tebe Otas-Uluk dance and ensuring its transmission to future generations. The dance involves two concentric circles—men in the inner circle and women in the outer—holding hands as they perform. Highlights included dancers in traditional attire, cultural discussions, and collaborative moments captured in photos. The seminar showcased the rich heritage of the Fatumea community.