BELIEF RITUALS AND MUSIC PRACTICES IN BEKTASHISM IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL IDENTITY: THE EXAMPLE OF CRETAN BEKTASHIS

Abstract

The faith and culture of the Bektashi have contributed to Muslim-Turks gaining experience of
coexistence with Christian communities in Anatolia, the Balkans, and the Islands significantly. The
variety in the music and rituals of worship of The Bektashies, one of the Cretan Muslim-Turks
communities conduces to the formation of the cultural identity, similarly, it presents the nonexisting phenomenon in the Bektashi. Even though Turkish is used in the official and rituals of all
these regions, the main language Turkish in the Cretan Bektashies, one of the most major elements
of the cultural transmissions has been replaced by Romaic. In our study, we determined that the
vibrancy of the elements of faith and culture in the rituals of the Cretan Bektasi’s communities
currently living in the Western Anatolia and the Mediterranean regions has already been
maintained, the hymns have been sung, the manias have been recited, the semah has been
worshipped, and we have presented the current data and our findings concerning the Bektashi’s
belief and practicing music.