Death and the death of the young people in Turkish culture: Mourning and waling (Agit) in Turkish folklore

Abstract

Like death, birth is not only a natural reality but also a social and cultural fact. As one of the most important events of the life, a great number of beliefs, customs, tradition, ceremonies, rites, pattern behaviors, transactions have been grouped around death. The forms and contents of these beliefs, customs, tradition, ceremonies, rites, pattern behaviors connected with death may differ in terms of time, society and culture. Turkey has very rich folkloric traditions which have been kept alive for centuries. There is a special place of the folkloric traditions connected with death in Turkish culture. Such beliefs, customs, transactions, ceremonies and pattern behaviors which accumulated around the death are categorized under three groups: pre-death, during death and after death.

Wailing is one of these traditions. These can be defined as literary works sung with melodies which express the feelings of fright, anxiety, sorrow and mutiny in cases of natural disasters, deaths, illnesses and helplessness. Singing a wailing is called crying a wailing and the one crying a wailing is called “wailer. The main aim of this study is to make a content analysis of the wailing (ağıtlar) (especially the wailing cried on the death of the young people) in Anatolian Culture.