Fazıl Özdamar

Religions and political sovereignty have had an impact on the calendar choice of Turks, who have used various calendars based on the solar and lunar years from the past to the present. Currently, religious days and ceremonies of the Turkish communities that converted to Islam are based on the Islamic calendar, while different cultural celebrations take place according to the lunar year. The most well-known of these days is Nowruz. The Chelle Night can be seen as another day in this context, which is celebrated by not only Oghuz Turks but also others. As in the Big Chelle celebrated on December 21, there are also various ceremonies in the Small Chelle celebrated on January 29. The most well-known of these ceremonies is the Köse-Gelin play. Although the number of players varies in the Köse-Gelin play performed among Turks living in various regions of Iran, the play is mostly performed by six players named Köse (beardless), Gelin (bride), Drummer, Torbacı (a person who carries a sort of bag during the play), Dark Köse, and White Köse. This article discusses how and when this play, as a cultural transfer, is performed in addition to its purpose. It also examines the characteristics of the clothes worn in the performance of this play, in which the players win a pragmatic award, the content of the poems, and the symbolic meanings of the theatrical/dramatic roles. There are some functions of the play, in which the former year, which symbolizes winter, weakens and dies, and the arrival of the new year, which symbolizes fertility, is celebrated. When these functions are evaluated in the context of the functions of culture, it is seen that functions such as entertainment, supporting social values, education, transferring culture, and getting rid of pressure are important in the sustainability of this play. Also, this play is performed during the rainmaking ceremony and assumes a different function. Finally, like many other elements of oral culture, this play is significant for the preservation and transfer of the cultural identity of Iranian Turks to the future.

Keywords: Iranian Turks, Ceremony, Dramatic Village Play, Köse-Gelin, Fertility.