Thursday, May 22, 2008

Akçakoca, Turkey, Monday May 19th

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It was a public holiday throughout Turkey, since May 19th is the day of commemoration of the start of the Independence struggle. We were keen to go to the ceremony which we knew would be presented by teenagers. Unfortunately Keith had not been well in the night so we were a little slow getting started. It didn’t matter, because the student brass and drum band played and marched through the town and right past our hotel door.

We followed them, along with students who would also perform, and other onlookers, to the town stadium. Three other bands and many other students were already lined up on the oval and there was a crowd of about two thousand in the stands and surrounding road sides waiting for this last band to arrive. We entered the stadium just before the large gates were closed, and sat under a tree to watch.

The ceremony followed the same format as the one we had seen in Göreme on April 23rd. All the students formed a grand parade and marched past the dignitaries, with each band leader tossing and catching his stick and the band performing some synchronised hand and foot movements when they reached the front. All the bands played the same repetitive rhythmic music – with the brass instruments only playing one note, sometimes with the drums and sometimes alone. Girls played drums, except for the bass drum, and boys played the brass instruments. There were four bands, each with its own uniform, and from the banners they carried, it seemed that they represented four schools. As we marched along to the stadium, it was clear that the boys in the gymnastics outfits were trying to look cool, and there was a fair bit of friendly interaction with the crowd accompanying them. Speeches were followed by a very slow synchronised scarf waving gymnastic act from girls in purple and yellow skirts with white tops, and a red and white flag waving act with more dynamics and movement from the boys. A small group of girls performed a traditional dance that had aspects similar Irish line dancing but involved hand and arm movements in some parts. Their costumes were complex and included many crafts, from the knitted socks, to the white skirts with embroidery and edging on them, to the different layers of woven materials in sashes and drapes and to the embroidered black velvet jackets. They wore peasant styles carves on their heads and danced extremely well, ending at high speed.

A final spectacular act involved everyone with an enormous flag, cut into pieces, being manipulated and rippled by about a hundred boys. Everyone then dispersed to enjoy the holiday afternoon.

We went for a long walk to the opposite end of town to the castle, peering into gardens and looking out to sea. At one stage one of the student bands could be heard approaching, marching up the hill to stop and perform for some very old ladies, one of whom looked to be about 100 to me. She was sitting on a cushion on the fence and went out to pose on the road with the band when they stopped playing. Was she the oldest resident or a relative of someone in the band? After playing and throwing the stick up and catching it, the students marched off down the hill, playing as they went.

A small slope between the road and the cliff face was being gardened with rickety fences in place to protect the plants from the wind and to keep the soil in place.

At this point the houses looked old and run down, while others looked like they belonged to more affluent people – all part of the evolution of a town’s life. Two houses – my choices for a home – shared a private sandy cove and had enormous gardens around them. A family had placed tarpaulins on the road and were washing their carpets using the hose, detergent and brooms. I commented to Keith that we should take note so that we will know how to wash our Turkish carpet but he said that he won’t let ours get dirty.

On the way back for lunch we passed a bookshop, so I indulged in one French murder mystery and two books in English, all second hand. I immediately felt the need for an afternoon rest so I could start reading. The day drifted away with a little snooze, some reading and some work on the computer.

We strolled around the centre of town, had pizza for tea and were just returning via the bonfire at the building demolition site when the rhythm of the bands started up again. It was accompanied by the wailing of a police siren and a kind of echo, which was another school band further up the road. All four student bands were out in force, followed by tooting vehicles and the crowds that they passed. The march around the town continued for an hour, with police or fire brigade vehicles separating the bands and creating lots of additional celebratory siren sounds. Keith had had enough once we passed our hotel but I felt like a child or a rat in the ‘Pied Piper of Hamlyn’, compelled to march in the wake of the bands as long as they played. We kept following until only one band remained, and we guessed that it was heading for its school, on the outskirts of town. At last, when the low branches on the trees on the median strip caused some problems for the followers, the spell was broken and I watched as the band disappeared over the hill. A sensibly short fireworks display was ignited on the shore opposite our hotel and seemed to be a surprise to everyone out on the street. Maybe we imagined it, but the rhythm of the bangs seemed to echo the rhythm of the band, and I am sure that every head in Akçakoca reverberated with that rhythm all night.

Another intended early night had become a late one, which seems to be a pattern for us.

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