Turkey’s Greeks take to stage: ’A Thorn in My Bed’

From Hürriyet :

ISTANBUL -The Rum minority of Istanbul has a very active cultural group, the Feriköy Art and Culture Lovers Association that was officially established in 1989. Before that, it was an amateur theatrical group that produced many plays. There are a number of theories about the Rum community’s Bakla Horani, meaning ’I ate bakla,’ festival in Istanbul, with some believing that it only began in the 1830s although others suggest it dates back to the rather sybaritic rites of ancient Greek city-states and Rome


Turkey’s Greeks take to stage: ’A Thorn in My Bed’ The Rum minority, that is members of the today’s Greek community that lives in Turkey, today has about 5200 members, a figure larger than one might actually expect although it is far from the 40000 some that remained after the fall of the walls of Constantinople in 1456. Whatever initial problems there might have been over loyalty to the Ottoman dynasty, it was eventually settled with those members of the Greek community joining Ottoman society as official translators, judges, businessmen, etc. It was only after the Greek War of Independence in 1821 that the Ottoman Turks began to look with suspicion at this minority in their midst.

Among the members of this community however, many pleasant moments were spent in entertainment but usually among themselves on birthdays and name days, weddings and other occasions. But there apparently was a particular festival that was called the Bakla Horani meaning, "I ate bakla." Bakla are a large flat bean that is considered one of the miracles of spring and is valued in the Turkish kitchen. Its green color and freshness were particularly valued all the way back to ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Hebrews. But it can only be found for one or two months.

There are a number of theories about this festival in Istanbul with some believing that it only began in the 1830s although one might have thought that it dates back to the rather sybaritic rites of ancient Greek city-states and Rome.

Moreover the fact that the Greeks won their war of independence in 1821 hardly suggests that the Ottomans would have tolerated a parade that is described as follows: "They had a carnival: the Bakla Horani. Before the end of the Ottoman Empire there used to live a lot of Greeks in the quarters of Tatavla and Beyoğlu, making a parade through their streets.

Carnival banned by the Turkish government

It was a merry parade of masked people, dressed in the traditional Greek clothes from the region they came from, men dressed like women or women like men. But the best of the parade was at the head where local prostitutes in fancy velvet dresses rode horses, lead by their pimps who walked along. This carnival got banned in 1930 by the Turkish government and the Bakla Horani now remains just a sweet memory."

It’s much more realistic to believe that this "parade" had been going on for many years than to think that the Ottomans would have granted permission for what could easily have turned into a protest against the Ottoman regime. The parade was finally forbidden in 1930 because of the use of masks. There was an attempt to recreate this wondrous parade this year but for the most part the Rum minority community has taken a lower profile for decades.

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