The following story is collected from my friend. He is from Turkey. This interview is done face-to-face. “A” refers to me, the collector. And “B” refers to the participant.
A: “Did you experience anything mysteries?”
B: “I am from Istanbul. I have a friend who is also from Istanbul, but he’s grandparents had a summer home in Kinaliada. He invite me to stay there for a couple of days and I accepted it. We were touring the island, late at night, and my friends showed me an abandoned home. It looked very old. My friend told me, a “Hoca” used lived there, who was known to have a relation with jins. We decided to explore the building, but did not want to do it at night. So next morning, we went to home and got inside. There was this horrible smell coming from the home.”
A: “Can you explain me who is a “Hoca” ?”
B: “People from all classes, can go to a “Hoca”, when they need advice for their personal problems. “Hoca” is believed to have a mystic powers. They are usually old man with long beard. People think they have connection to supernatural stuff.”
A:”Such as jins?”
B:”Yes”.
A:”Can you give me example of how someone can seek help from these people?”
B: “People, who come from any kind of background can go to a hoca, when they want something really bad or want to solve a problem. For example; Instead of going to doctor, or after they went to a doctor, for a medical problem, they seek advice from a “Hoca”. “Hoca” can pray to heal the person, talk to jinns, or create a mixture with herbs, like a magical potion.”
A: “Continue your story please?”
B:” So we got inside and looked around. It was empty and not much to see, but we noticed a crack on the wall. Crack was shaped like the face of a bull. We didn’t think much about it and left the home. Next morning, we were having breakfast and we asked my friend’s grandparent about abandoned home. Grandfather told a “Hoca” used to live there and his name was “Boga Hoca”.
A: “What does “Boga” means in Turkish?”
B: “It means bull. So when he said this, me and friends were shocked. Because we did not talk to him about the crack that shaped like a bull. “
A:” Do you think “Hoca”s have mystical powers to heal people?”
B:” I believe is that, after trying all practical solutions to a problem, people, who are religious or not, try to get hope from cultural tradition. People look for safety and comfort. Maybe Americans watch movies or read books to get comfort. In Turkey, people go to “Hoca”. I don’t think we should evaluate this tradition by standards of practical science. They are very different. A visit to “Hoca” is different from a visit to doctor; they heal different things in a person.”