Hıdırellez Festival May 5th 2012
Hıdırellez Festivali Ahırkapı,Istanbul 2012 enjoyed very much with friends drinking, dancing, singing here are the few info from wikipedia regarding the festival:) Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez ( Turkish : Hıdrellez or Hıdırellez , Azerbaijani : Xıdır İlyas or Xıdır Nəbi , Crimean Tatar : Hıdırlez , Romani language : Ederlezi ) is celebrated as the day on which Prophets Hızır ( Al-Khidr ) and Ilyas ( Elijah ) met on the earth. [1] Hıdırellez starts on May 5 night and falls on May 6 in the Gregorian calendar and April 23 in the Julian calendar . It is celebrated in Turkey [2] and throughout the Turkic world. It celebrates the arrival of spring and is a religious holiday for the Alevi as well. Đurđevdan is the Christian variety of this spring festival throughout the Balkans , notably areas which had become under the control of the Ottoman Empire