The following story is collected from my friend. She lived in Turkey for the most part of her life. Now she lives in the U.S.A. She talks about a traditional event. This interview is done face-to-face. “A” refers to me, the collector. And “B” refers to the participant.

A: “Do you celebrate any tradition?”

B: “Every year to celebrate Hidirellez, the new spring, we write our wishes in a paper and we bury them near a rose tree at midnight. After burying the paper we go to sleep. Next day, we wake up early in the morning, like at 6 AM,  and go back to the tree. We dig out the paper and walk towards the sea. Then we throw our wishes to sea, and the reason is that; we believe that, there are two souls that represent the earth and the water. “Hidir” represents the earth and he takes your wishes at midnight and brings it to god, I guess, and “Ellez” is the soul of the water, who makes your wishes come true.  And these wishes should not be seen by anyone else but the person himself or herself.”

A: “Do you practice this often?”

B: “Yes I try to practice every year. But could not for the last 2 years”

A: “What kind of things do  you wish?”

B: “Like I said before… no one should see your wishes”

A:”Do they camo true?”

B:” Yes they do”

A: “All of them?”

B: “Not all of them”

A: “Do you believe in it?”

B: “Yes I do believe in it but it’s more of a tradition then reality.”

A: “Is this a common practice in Turkey?”

B:” Yes and also Persian”

A: “Where did you learn it from?”

B:  “My mother and my friends, when I was in high school.”

Hidirellez is still one of the most famous traditions in Turkey and Iran