Ondokuz Mayıs University Turkish Language Center (OMU-Turkish) commemorated the 744th anniversary of Rumi’s death with the “Seb-i Arus Ceremony”.
The ceremony held through a series of events at the Atatürk Congress and Culture Center was attended by the Director of OMU-Turkish Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yakup Poyraz, Deputy Headmasters Asst. Prof. Dr. Ömer Saraç and Lecturer Seyfullah Öztürk, academicians and a great number of students.
Delivering the opening speech of the ceremony, Director of OMU-Turkish Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yakup Poyraz said “Our reason to gather here is to both commemorate and understand Rumi. But, it is not easy to understand him. Because Mevlana is a powerful philosopher, Turks, Persians, the Islamic world, Westerners, in short, the entire whole world tries to understand the deep meanings of his words. This power of his stems from the fact that he had caught and touched humanity. He is the first to come to one’s mind when talking about love, siblinghood and tolerance and thus can still affect people centuries after his death.”.
Talking also about the meaning of "Seb-i Arus", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yakup Poyraz stated that the word seb meant night and arus wedding and continued his words saying “Rumi used the phrase “Seb-i Arus” to denote death. Death, which has a dreadful meaning for most, came to mean wedding night for Rumi. For according to Sufism world is a foreign land and land of exile, whereas death is the end of exile, reunion with God (Allah). Rumi, being a Sufi himself, entered death as if he entered a rosary."
Drawing attention to that Rumi advised love, siblinghood and tolerance due to his perception of death; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Poyraz said “When we look at the cruelty taking part in various places of the world, the world is in need of peace like never before. It is up to us to end this cruelty; we are the ones who will bring peace. Understanding Rumi, giving ear to his philosophy will render world more comprehensible and peaceful.”
After the opening speech the commemoration ceremony has started where Iraqi student Ömer Abdal Aziz delivered a speech about Rumi. Iranian student Elnaz Abedini, Ateş Khorsandi, Rüstem İlyasov and Afghani student Halis Muhlis recited Rumi’s poems in Turkish.
The ceremony continued with hymns by Macedonian students Sabriye İslami and Ayda Khorsandi, and Nilab Saedi, coming from the lands where Rumi was born, mesmerized the audience with Persian and Turkish verses accompanied by the Persian flute.
The Seb-i Arus ended with presentations of thanks to students after the sema show of whirling dervishes, a tradition of Maulawis.
News: Çiğdem Ünaldı
Photography: Gökhan Çetin
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