European Fire Celebrations

Visit to Turkey

Turkey Staff and learners from Dragon Arts were fortunate to go on a weeks multicultural exchange visit to Izmir, Turkey as part of the Grundtvig funded ‘European Fire Celebrations’ project.They linked in with the hosts Izmir Bornova Vocational College and partners from Denmark, Spain, and Czech Republic.

On the first day we toured the college and later met with the Governor of Bornova and the Director of Education.

We embarked on a bus tour of the Izmir coast on day two and got to try traditional Turkish pancakes called gozleme, which are rolled out on large wooden blocks and cooked in a traditional oven.

In the evening we participated in the ancient ritual of Hidrellez when a small bonfire is lit and people jump through the flames three times which represents the cleansing of the soul, a sort of ‘out with the old, in with the new’! We also wrote wishes on paper and put them in small silk bags and pinned them to a tree for good luck. We learned traditional Turkish dancing and clapped along to a Turkish Romany Gypsy band.

The following morning we were invited to parade in a march for Turkish Republic Day. Two members wore traditional Welsh costume. It was amazing to walk along the promenade in front of tens of thousands of people representing our country in Turkey. We also participated in a torch carrying parade later that evening walking the same route with all the students of the local schools and colleges. There was a huge firework display and the lighting of two 20 metre high fire monuments.

On the fourth morning we were privileged to tour the ancient city of Ephesus. We assembled on the steps of the Library of Celsius for a group photograph and then went on to a Museum of Village Life. In the evening we went on a boat tour of the coast with traditional music and food.

We got to try traditional glass making workshops on the last day. The villages of Nazar koy make small blue glass eyes called ‘Nazar Boncuk’. It is a custom all over Turkey to display these eyes to ward off evil spirits. It was inspirational to watch the craftsmen making the small beads by hand in the mud kilns.

Both staff and members gained so much from this exchange experience and cannot wait to share all the approaches and practises they learned with everyone back at the centre. We send a big thank you to all our partners, Grundtvig Lifelong Learning and Izmir College.