Sıra Gecesi, one of the ancient traditions of the Şanlıurfa region, was revived at Ibn Haldun University. In the event organized by the University's Department of Health, Culture and Sports, the "Oxford People's Sıra Gecesi Team" took the stage and performed folk songs specific to the Şanlıurfa region. As part of the event, Çiğ Köfte and ayran were served to the participants.
On this occasion, we started to research what kind of tradition is Sıra Gecesi. Even as a result of a little research we have done, we have come to the conclusion that this ancient tradition cannot be seen as purely entertainment. We understood that Sıra Gecesi are a blend of friendships, solidarity and cooperation, pleasant conversation, music and literature, and that it also has an educational and instructive side, but we did not want to settle for this information. We asked Ibn Haldun University Faculty of Islamic Sciences Faculty Member Mehmet Öncel to learn about the unknowns about the historical origin of Sıra Gecesi, one of the important values of our culture. He gave us important information about the historical origin and mission of Sıra Gecesi. Let's leave the word to our teacher, Mehmet Oncel, to learn these facts about Sıra Gecesi that you probably have not heard before:
“Sıra Gecesi, as the name suggests, is held in the house of a certain person every week in turn. We can say that Sıra Gecesi is a small school where people of equal age, level of knowledge and standard of living come together, benefit from each other in various ways and help each other. As you know, education in the East was not given only by an institution. Especially in the Ottoman Empire, education was given at every stage of life. For example, the little ones sit close to the door at Sıra Gecesi and carefully examine the speeches of the elders and what they do. Adults also sometimes say certain things to each other, just to teach the children something, so that the children can get their share of it. In this respect, we can say that "Sıra Gecesi" is a school where etiquette, respect for elders are taught and scientific and cultural richness is strengthened.
Mehmet Öncel explains that Sıra Gecesi are not only a school but also an institution that takes place in life:
“For example, when a relative of a member of the team dies, that night the team immediately visits the family of their deceased friends. Whether it is condolence organization or burial organization, they take a first degree role at least as much as relatives in all funeral works. For example, when a member of the Sıra Gecesi team has an urgent debt or need, the team collects this money among themselves and sees the need of their debtor friend, without anyone noticing. In this respect, Sıra Gecesi works like a foundation.”
Mehmet Öncel explained that, contrary to popular belief, music is not an indispensable part of Sıra Gecesi:
Apart from that, not only music is played in Sıra Gecesi, we can say that what we call music is the last part of Sıra Gecesi. They are the performances of people who have a beautiful voice, can sing eulogies, folk songs or hymns at the end of the program. The main goal of Sıra Gecesi is to increase the spirit, affection and solidarity. We can say that each team was established with the aim of increasing the level of social awareness among themselves. In addition to this, of course, there is entertainment on the Sıra Gecesi. After all, we are human. Having fun in the halal circle is not a bad thing.”
Mehmet Öncel states that Sıra Gecesi have been going on for more than two hundred years in some academic articles and says that in his opinion, the past of this ancient tradition can go back even further.
“I remember when my father attended, 1987-1988… My father used to gather with his uncles and sons. Each Sıra Gecesi team has a president and special rules among themselves. From the outside, we can't say I'm attending your turn. For example, when it is said that there is a "sıra" in such and such a person's house today, not everyone can go to that line. If an outsider is to come, he has to get permission from the line team and the chairman beforehand. Because these groups are an institution that has its own privacy, like a family.”
“If there is an agenda in the flow of Sıra Gecesi, it is discussed. For example, when we say that Medaim Yanık will come to our turn this week and will tell us about the psychological infrastructure of Urfa condolence houses, that is the topic of the day and Medaim Yanık is seated at the head. Conversations are candid. After the speech, there is a question-answer session. After that, Çiğ Köfte are served, followed by other treats, if any. The sine qua non of Sıra Gecesi is Çiğ Köfte. Çiğ Köfte are something that both rich and poor should do. There is usually no food on Sıra Gecesi. On the Sıra Gecesi that I remember, künefe would come after Çiğ Köfte. In some Sıra Gecesi, there are rules such as "everyone will serve the same treat". These depend entirely on the alliance of the participants. Music is performed at the end of the program, but there may not be music in every Sıra Gecesi. Contrary to popular belief, music is not an essential element of Sıra Gecesi. Recently, each province has started to bring such events to the fore while promoting its own culture. Therefore, when we say Sıra Gecesit, we think of music. Apart from this, different elements can be added to the Sıra Gecesi. For example, there may be a whirling dervish in the Sıra Gecesi performed by the Sıra Gecesi teams of Mevlevi, and other colors can be added in the Sıra Gecesi of different denominations. In summary, Sıra Gecesi do not have sharp boundaries, their content is flexible. We can say that popular and well-known programs are the forms of Sıra Gecesi suitable for shows and entertainment.
