Abstract
WATER IN TURKISH BIRTH TRADITION WITH A CENTRAL OVERVIEW OF THE BELIEF SYSTEM
Having an important place in many cultures since the mythic times, water is the accepted as the beginning of exsistence in the Turkish belief system. From this perspective, in the Turkish worldview, water is a sacred and blessing being that connects creative power with man. Man has created many methods to make sense of and bless his life from the very beginning of his creation. Some of these methods have revealed periods that divide human life into certain parts. These periods, which represent the transition from one state to another for human life and are called the transition period, also equate life to the first sacred time and space. In our article, we will reveal the belief role of water in the birth tradition, which is the first of the transitional periods, through previous studies. We will explain the position of water in the birth tradition and the reasons for its use through the conducted researches.
Keywords
Turkish culture, transition periods, birth, water.