Desde 1996 cada 23 de Abril en España se celebra el Día del Libro. La fecha escogida para celebrar esta conmemoración en honor del libro es porque un 23 de abril murieron Shakespeare y Cervantes. ¡Qué casualidad! Los dos grandes escritores de la lengua inglesa y la lengua española murieron el mismo día. La costumbre, y esto nos viene de los catalanes (que celebran el día de Sant Jordi) es regalar un libro y una rosa a aquellos que más queremos.
Desde hace unos años, en muchos países se celebra este día mediante la lectura continuada de grandes obras literarias, muchas veces, el libro elegido es El Quijote. El año pasado el libro de moda era Cien años de soledad de Gabriel García Márquez porque se celebraba su cuarenta aniversario.
Este año, en el Instituto Monastil lo hemos celebrado leyendo una obra de ciencia-ficción. ¿A que no adivináis cuál? Pues, claro, Frankenstein, no podía ser otra. Con el acto de lectura se cerró el proyecto de animación a la lectura que nos ha ocupado durante más de tres meses. El broche final lo puso el poeta de Elda Antonio Porpetta, quien además de amenizarnos con la lectura de un fragmento de la obra, fue el encargado de entregar los premios del Concurso de Relatos de Terror.
Próximamente los publicaremos en el blog.
Your explanations about what you celebrate on April the 23rd in Turkey are very interesting. Here in Spain it is the "Book Day". Each person buys a book and a rose for his/her dear friends and at schools, libraries and public institutions there are continuous readings of well-known novels or poems. At the Monastil High School, as this year we have a project to promote reading among students centred on the novel "Frankestein" by Mary Shelley, we have been reading it all morning, in turns, and at midday, we have had the visit of a poet who has given the prizes of our a literary contest about terror writing organized for the occasion. We may show some pictures of it in the blog soon.
martes, 29 de abril de 2008
El Día del Libro / The Book Day
lunes, 28 de abril de 2008
¿Qué se celebra en Turquía cada 23 de Abril? / 23th of April in Turkey
Es para los turcos el Día Nacional de la Soberanía y el Día de los Niños. Nuestra compañera Güllü nos explica que el 23 de abril de 1920 se celebró en el Parlamento de Ankara la independencia de la nación turca, después de suprimir el sultanato. Atatürk pensó que como los niños constituían la esperanza de la creación de un nuevo país, se debería bautizar este día como “el día de los niños”.
En el discurso que pronunció aquella mañana dijo: “ Cada uno de vosotros es una estrella, un rayo de luz , una rosa del futuro...¡ Esperamos grandes cosas de vosotros!”
El primer año que se celebró fue en 1929. Aquel 23 de abril los niños de Ankara hicieron un desfile que terminó en la Plaza Taksim acompañados de la banda de la Marina además de otras celebraciones en el Teatro Tepebafi.
Las Naciones Unidas declararon el año 1979 como el Año Internacional de los Niños del Mundo. Con ese motivo, el 23 de abril de aquel año se celebró en Turquía un festival en el que participaron 5 países. Desde entonces se celebra cada año y para que nos hagamos idea de la importancia que tiene el año pasado participaron 65 países. En la historia de este festival ya han participado 20.000 niños de 100 nacionalidades diferentes junto a los niños turcos.
Adjuntamos en inglés una carta de Gullu en la que explica la importancia histórica de este día y lo que representa para ella, que en resumen es una sensación de inocencia y pureza que, como Atatürk dijo aquel 23 de abril de 1920, hace tener esperanza en un mundo feliz y mejor que está por llegar.
April 23, 1920 was a very important date for Turkey. On that day the Turkish Parliament was founded, with the goal of Turkey becoming a sovereign state ruled democratically by the people for the people. Earlier, it was the sultan who ruled the country, regardless of the people's wishes. Before April 23, 1920, Turkish people were not able to vote or be represented in the government. Now Turkey is a democratic state, and if the people voted for a party with a majority of their votes, then this political party can act in accordance with the will of the people.Today is Children's Day. This day is organized to foster feelings of fraternity, love and friendship among children from different countries and also to contribute to a world in which they can live in peace.
Personally, April 23 is not just important to me because it is the anniversary of the young Turkish Republic's Parliament. To me, April 23 is really something that refreshes my memories and my soul.
I strongly recommend that you visit a school today. Please go to an elementary school close to you and see the atmosphere. If the school is in a rich neighborhood, the type of costumes will be flashier. If it is a village school, maybe there will be no such flashy costumes, but I bet that you will also enjoy the performance of the kids there. The school children work hard preparing their costumes for the dances, dramas, marches and other performances that traditionally take place on April 23. The classrooms are also dressed up for the festival. The pupils make different types of paper cutouts, put up balloons in many colors and even decorate the blackboard (Nowadays it is white in many schools, but I am from those old days when we used to write with chalk on the blackboard. One day our teacher brought some chalk in different colors and we were really surprised to see that chalk was also available in different colors.) There are no lessons, but there are flowers and pictures, along with big banners that read "Happy April 23." If you have no means to go to a school, you can simply turn on the TV and watch the celebrations.
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) embarked on a project aimed at embracing all the children of the world when the year 1979 was declared as World Children's year by United Nations and it has been celebrated among countries since then. The first celebration of the TRT International April 23 Children's Festival was performed in Turkey on April 23, 1979, with the participation of five other countries; the USSR, Iraq, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria. Now, the celebration of the TRT International April 23 Children's Festival is performed with the participation of about 50 countries. The international celebrations are performed in Ankara and in some other major cities, such as Ýzmir, Ýstanbul and Antalya, while the national celebrations are held all over Turkey.
April 23 gives me hope and the feeling that innocence and pureness is still somewhere out there. So, please take my word: It is worth seeing.
Have a nice April 23.
jueves, 24 de abril de 2008
Algunas canciones típicas turcas / About some Turkish lyrics
La música es el lenguaje más internacional que existe. Por eso no podía faltar en nuestro blog. Buscad las novedades en la caja de descargas que hemos creado para ir poniendo canciones. A través de la música reconocemos nuestras señas de identidad y nuestras raíces. Conozcamos un poco más la música turca, a través de las canciones favoritas de Atatürk: sari zeybek, vardar ovasi y canakkale.
Sobre Canakkale
Gullü, la profesora turca de inglés, principal responsable de nuestro proyecto en su instituto, nos explica que Canakkale, que es el título de la canción, es el nombre de una ciudad turca y nos aporta numerosos datos sobre la situación geográfica y la historia de aquel territorio. Podríamos destacar lo siguiente:
En ella se libró parte de la guerra de la independencia. Canakkale está situada en la parte noroeste de Turquía, en una zona estratégica para el ejército, el comercio y las migraciones a través de la historia. El estrecho de Dardanelos es la característica geográfica más importante de Canakkale: una franja de agua de unos 60 km. que separa Europa de Asia Menor. Durante siglos, quien dirigía las compuertas tenía la hegemonía de una zona importantísima. Por tanto hay muchas historias sobre esto.
Parece ser que la leyenda más antigua que se ubica en esa zona es la de Helle. Antiguamente los Dardanelos se conocían como Hellespont “El mar de Helle”. Helle, según la mitología griega era una princesa que se ahogó en sus aguas. Cuando Phryxus y Helle, hijos del rey Athamas, fueron expulsados por su madrastra, la princesa Helle se cayó al agua intentando cruzar el estrecho.
Otra historia que se cuenta es que Canakkale estaba en la antigüedad formada por dos ciudades, Abydos y Sestus, una frente a otra a cada lado del estrecho. Ocurrió que Leandro, un guapo joven de Abydos estaba enamorado de Hero, una sacerdotisa Afrodita que era de Sestus, por lo que él cada noche lo cruzaba a nado para verla. Una noche hubo una terrible tormenta y nunca llegó a la otra orilla. Entonces, Hero, asumiendo que Leandro se había ahogado, se tiró al mar.
Los Dardanellos jugaron un papel muy importante en la 1ª Guerra Mundial. Los Ingleses y sus aliados querían tomar Estambul pero no pudieron atravesar los Dardanelos. Hubo una contienda de ocho meses entre los aliados y las fuerzas turcas conocida como la Batalla de Gallípoli. Tantas víctimas hu
bo que Winston Churchill, el Primer Ministro inglés, fue destituido.Ahora, cada 25 de abril, Gallípoli se llena de los descendientes de las tropas aliadas, de otros veteranos y de turistas. Se lanzan salvas de fuego desde la Cueva Anzac y la Guardia de Honor turca saluda a los héroes. En la actualidad, la península de Gallípoli es un parque nacional abierto al público que quiere rendir homenaje a las víctimas en los varios cementerios militares que hay. Gallípoli es por tanto un documento vivo y postrero de la barbarie de la guerra.
En referencia a la canción Canakkale sabemos que corresponde al canto de un soldado de aquella época que entró al ejército casi niño porque necesitaban más efectivos. La letra dice que se siente demasiado pequeño para ser soldado e ir a la guerrra, como la mayoría de ellos, y que había demasiado humo en la ciudad, provocado por los estallidos de las explosiones. Habla de que pertenecía a la trinchera número trece y de que los cañones estaban situados en Canakkale. Cuenta que iban muriendo unos tras otros mientras sus padres esperaban inútilmente su regreso.
Las palabras de Atatürk, el famoso comandante de Gallípoli y fundador de la actual república turca, alaban el valor de estos soldados y aparecen transcritas en inglés en el texto que nos envían nuestros amigos turcos junto a otro párrafo, también sobre la tragedia. Podéis leerlo en la versión inglesa.
Çanakkale is the name of a city in Turkey. And durıng the independence war there had been the worst defence in our hıstory. And thıs song had been sung one of the soldıers at that tıme. He had gone to the military servıce at a very early age.Because there had been no adults ın those years because of the nonstopıng wars. He says:' I'm goıng agaınst the enemies to hıs mother, o my god I am too small. Some of the us are engaged some are marrıed.(ın those days people are gettıng marrıed at an early age 13-14-15....)there ıs smoke over the cıty and the 13th trench went to the war. The cannons were placed ın Çanakkale, our uşaks were kılled there and all the parents were hopeless of theır chıld's return.'
The first-waterway on the way of Istanbul, the place where a century was collapsed, the place where 500,000 soldiers lost their lives at Gallipoli, homeland of many civizilations including the ancient city known as Troy, the city of Heroes:
Çanakkale, one of the Turkish cities, located on the Hellespoint at the north-west part of Turkiye.The city has always been strategically important because it has been a crossing point for armies, traders, migrating people since before history.
BRIEF SUMMARY
The Dardanelles Strait is one of the most important geological feature of Çanakkale. This is the almost 60 km (38 miles) long ribbon of water separating the continent of Europe from the Asia Minor. Throughout history, anyone who controlled this gateway commanded a highly strategic area. There are many stories told about this place.
The first known story of the Dardanelles is the story of Helle. In the ancient times, the Dardanelles were known as the Hellespont, "Helle's sea" , named after a mythical Boetian princess who was drown in its waters. According to Greek mythology, when King Athamas' children, Phryxus and Helle, were sent away by their stepmother. While passing over the straits on a ram with golden fleece, Princess Helle fell into the water.
Another lovey story is told ear to ear; Abydose and Sestus were two town of ancient Çanakkale that faced one another across the Straits. Leander was a handsome youth from Abydos who was in love with an Aphrodite priestess, Hero. Every night he would swim from Abydos to Sestus to see her. One night there was a terrible storm and he had never arrived. Hero, asuming that Leander had drowned, threw herself into the sea.
Dardanelles played an important role at World War I. British and its Allies, who wanted to take Istanbul, could not pass through the Dardanelles. The eight month-long struggle between the Allies and Turkish forces is known as the Battle of Gallipoli. So serious were the casualties on both sides, that Winston CHURCHILL, Prime Minister of England, was removed from his office.
Every year of April 25th, Gallipoli is invaded again not by Allied troops, but by their descendants, other veterans, and tourists. The sounds of the riffle fire ring out at Anzac Cove, but this time as a salute to hereos by the Turkish Honor Guard.
When you reach Galliboli Pennisula you can feel the spirit of the heroes of the battle. Today Galliboli pennisula is a national park and is open to all visitors who come to pay respect in many military burial grounds. Blow are the words of Ataturk, the famous Turkish commander of Gallipoli and the founders of modern Turkish Republic.
" Those heroes that shed their blood and
lost their lives...! You are now lying in
the soul of a friendly country, therefore
rest in peace. There is no differences between
the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they
lie side by side here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away
countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now
lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having
lost their lives on this land they have become
our sons as well."
ATATURK, (1934).
These pages were prepared in rememberance of many unknown heroes who lost their lives for this land. Our duty is to carryforth this story of honor to future generations. We, our people, and all the world will never forgot their epics. Galliboli, with its air, forests, and soil, is a living monument.
[Photo from Kagan Agun's archive, August 1996.]The heroes, buried in this land and mixed with soil, are watching the setting of the Sun on the water.
Here are some words illustrate the magnificence of the Gallipoli Wars.
It is impossible for me without mentioning the fights on the Bomb Hill. Distance between trenches is about eight metres, That's to say, death is certain... The soldiers in the first trench are completely dying and the second group replaces them immediately with such great resignation and coldness that noone can imagine. A Soldier sees those dying soldiers and knows that he will die in a few minutes but doesn't show any hesitation and fear at all. By reading Kuran, some are ready to go Heaven and others are fighting and praying to God. This is one of the instances that shows the astonishing high spirit of Turkish soldiers. This is the high spirit that won Canakkale Wars. ( From the diaries of Ataturk - group commander of Anafartalar)
jueves, 17 de abril de 2008
Karagöz y Hacivat
Estos personajes existen desde hace siglos. Karagöz tiene ojos negros, barba redondeada y turbante achatado con pluma, pero todos saben que es calvo porque el turbante se le cae a menudo. Hacivat tiene tanto la barba con el turbante acabados en punta. Ambos llevan calzones hasta la pantorrilla y zuecos.
Cada uno representa una clase social. Karagöz es casi analfabeto, el tonto del pueblo. Se engancha al hablar y la gente se ríe de él. Pero también se atreve a decir cosas que otros no dirían. Es un patoso. Si encuentra trabajo lo echan enseguida porque es un desastre, pero a pesar de todo siempre se hace notar y cree llevar razón.
Hacivat es culto, educado y muy profesional. Se explica muy bien con un amplio vocabulario que a menudo confunde a Karagöz. Le toca ser paciente con él cuando malinterpreta algo o actúa con torpeza. Pasa la mayor parte del tiempo dándole explicaciones a Karagöz o ayudándole a encontrar trabajo.
Estos dos personajes han mantenido este formato durante generaciones. Siempre comienzan su actuación con una canción, luego Hacivat visita a Karagöz y lo encuentra durmiendo y entonces ya el hecho de despertarse de repente le produce desconcierto. Entonces discuten y ya entran en conversación. Al final de la función siempre se disculpan por las posibles inconveniencias y termina con una marioneta de una mujer muy sensual que baila con una pandereta.
Existen otros personajes secundarios muy conocidos como Bebe Ruhi, una duendecilla, el juglar negro, el presumido Selebi, Tiryaki, un adicto al opio que se pasa el tiempo en los bares, el leñador Baba Himmet de Anatolia, y el fanfarrón Tuzsuz Deli Bekir que es un matón. Aparte de éstos, también hay otras marionetas de otras nacionalidades que tuvieron contacto con el Imperio Otomano y que también reflejan su posición dentro de la sociedad otomana.
Lo que ha mantenido el interés por estos personajes es que conservan su tipismo. Es comedia satírica en la que se comenta la política, los deportes y los asuntos de la vida social de un modo que hace reír. Sirven para decir en voz alta lo que ninguna persona real se atrevería jamás a pronunciar.
Invitamos a los que se manejan en inglés a leer el texto que han enviado nuestros amigos turcos. En él se puede leer parte de los diálogos de estos personajillos. No los traducimos al castellano porque la versión inglesa ha sido elaborada junto con los autores originales y está trabajada para mantener las rimas y los juegos de significado que a nosotros nos sería imposible conseguir al no conocer la sociedad turca suficientemente.
Nos remiten a una publicación de la arqueóloga Isik Soytürk titulada 1001 colors of Anatolia que es un libro para niños con pegatinas y recortables de estos personajes en formato A-4 .
¿Os recuerdan a alguna pareja cómica estos personajes? Una pista: ¿hace mucho que no vais al circo?
Originally hailing from Bursa, now they form an important exhibit in the arts and cultural museum there. Bursa was originally the Ottoman capital, before the fall of Constantinople. This lovely city, nestled at the foot of the imposing Uludağ Mountain, is the home of many Ottoman arts and crafts, as well as old buildings and, of course, traditional dishes such as İskender kebabı.
Unlike shadow puppets I am used to (rabbits made by cleverly folding your fingers in front of a projector) the Turkish shadow puppets of Karagöz and Hacivat are in full-color silhouette, not black and white. This feature is achieved by the technique of situating the projector behind the screen, and using translucent material for the puppets.
Karagöz and Hacivat have kept their style over the centuries. Karagöz is named for his pitch black eyes. He has a rounded beard and wears a huge turban with a feather in it. Karagöz is bald and this is exposed whenever his turban is knocked off. Hacivat has a pointed beard and a pointed turban. Both wear three-quarter-length breeches and clog-like shoes.
The two puppets represent different classes in Turkish society. Karagöz is poorly educated; he can hardly read and write. He is the village idiot. As such he often muddles words up, and this makes everyone laugh. But, like children, he can also say things that others do not dare say. Sadly, he is very clumsy. If he can find a job, he normally makes a complete mess of things and loses it quickly. But he still claims to be right, and to know it all.
Hacivat is well-educated, well-mannered and comes from the professional class. His speech is polite, and he has a wide vocabulary, which confuses poor Karagöz much of the time. He is always kind to his friend, though, and is endlessly patient with his failure to grasp the subject of the conversation, or his clumsy actions. Hacivat spends a lot of time explaining things to Karagöz, or helping him find a job.
The Karagöz-Hacivat play has kept its format through the generations, too. They always start the show with a song. Then Hacivat arrives at Karagöz's house and calls to him from below. Karagöz, who is dozing by the window-sill, gets cross at being awoken. They argue for a little while, then they get into conversation. At the end of the show they always apologize for any unpleasant things they may have said to each other. Then a puppet of a beautiful woman comes on stage and finishes the show by dancing to a tambourine.
The auxiliary characters of the lady, Bebe Ruhi (a dwarf) and the black minstrel are also traditional. Çelebi is a dandy, and Tiryaki is an opium addict who spends his time in the coffeehouses. Anatolia Baba Himmet is a woodcutter and Swaggering Tuzsuz Deli Bekir is a bully. Characters named after different nations have traditional professions, reflecting their status in Ottoman society: Laz is a boatman, wool-beater or tinsmith, Kurd is the night watchman, Persian is a trader in materials and carpets, Arab is a trader in shawls, Albanian sells boza or is a gardener, Greek is a medical man, Armenian is the head of a family, and Jew is a moneylender or second-hand dealer.
What has kept Turkish audiences loving Karagöz and Hacivat over the ages is that, although the puppets are traditional, they keep their topicality. Just like "The Tonight Show," this theater is satirical comedy. Karagöz and Hacivat discuss the events of the day. They criticize each other, make jokes and exchange good advice. They comment on politics, sport and current affairs. They make the audience laugh. And poor Karagöz will often draw the heartiest laughs and the loudest applause as he is bold enough to make the statements that everyone else is too politically correct to utter.
Archaeologist Işık Soytürk, in her "1001 Colors of Anatolia" series, introduces us to these traditional heroes. In Turkish, English and German, she gives us a little information about them and presents a play in which the two heroes are discussing traffic rules and road safety. This delightful short book for children includes five A-4 pages of puppets to cut out and color, and a page of Karagöz-Hacivat stickers.
True to the Karagöz-Hacivat tradition Soytürk's show starts with a song, sung by Hacivat as he arrives at Kargöz's house:
"The play you are about to see
Tries to shed light on society
Life is long and can teach us well
It provides the ideas for the stories we tell
Many people are good, others seem bad
Sometimes we are happy, at other times sad, but...
If you treat others fair and try to act right
Then your life will be peaceful, sunny and bright."
As this example shows, the translators, Yelda Diker and Andrea Dillon-Körner, have worked hard not just to translate from Turkish to English, but also to adapt the English text so it rhymes.
They are similarly successful in dealing with the word plays, when Karagöz misunderstands Hacivat, or commits a malapropism:
Hacivat: Hello, my dear Karagöz! Come here.
Karagöz: What do you mean, "Can you hear?" Of course I can hear!
Hacivat: What do you see at the intersection?
Karagöz: What is it? What is it? I see many insects down there.
Hacivat: Keep an eye on the crossing point over there.
Karagöz: Oh don't worry! I'll keep an eye on that croissant. Don't worry!
This is the third edition of the book. I look forward to the revision of the second volume which, like the former edition of "Karagöz and Hacivat - 1," is just a translation from Turkish to English, without the necessary adaptations, so the word plays and puns are totally lost in translation.
So, if you get invited to a Karagöz and Hacivat play, in their famous words "My love, assist me to have some fun..." you are in for some traditional Turkish entertainment!
martes, 15 de abril de 2008
Las regiones de España / The regions in Spain
De la mano de estos cuadros de Sorolla podemos iniciar un recorrido por la geografía española. Os invitamos a hacerlo. Iremos visitando cada uno de estos paneles para conocer mejor nuestro país y para darlo a conocer a nuestros compañeros del Comenius. Os sorprenderá ver que mucho de lo que hoy somos como pueblo, de nuestra españolidad, está representado en esos cuadros.
In 1909, Sorolla was entrusted a series of canvasses about the different regions of Spain to decorate the lounges at the Hispanic Society in New York. He spent five years in its production and died before they were installed at their final emplacement. His view is not completely precise. He collects different ideas and makes studios and outlines in his travels around Spain but he does not pretend an exact representation of a map of Spain. He lets his painter`s instinct free and follows its impulses. Sorolla paints “with his eyes” and gets those sensory impressions from his retina to reflect them later in his pictures. In fact, in the fourteen canvasses there only appear nine of the seventeen Spanish regions and his attention to them is unequal: the main wall display is dedicated to Castille, five others to Andalucia, two to Valencia and one to each of Extremadura, Catalonia, Galicia, Aragón, Navarra and the Basc country. But there are other communities which are nor reflected. The explanation is quite simple: his work is not that of the scientist or the geographer but that of the artist whose style is subtle and whose way of organising his work is juxtaposition. In this way we can say that most of the paintings are a testimony of his treatment of light: the gloomy aspect of the Basc country versus the powerful Valencian sun, the freshness of the fish selling in Catalonia contrasted with the ardous task of the Andalusian tunna fishers who work under the heat of an African sun. Others are the proof of his interest for reflecting the moment with photographical precision, as in “The Dance” in Seville.
From Sorolla pictures we can begin a trip around Spanish geography. We suggest you do it. We will visit each of these mural paintings to get to know our country better and to allow our partners in the project enjoy it. You will be surprised to check that most of what we are nowadays as a country, our identity, is present in these wall displays.
sábado, 12 de abril de 2008
Halva: una delicia culinaria con historia / Halva: a sweet with ceremonial significance
También nos indican que igual que sucede con nuestras “monas” hay distintas variedades del producto. Se puede encontrar el halva hueco, con crema montada o con fruta caramelizada.
El nombre de este postre se puede encontrar también en hebreo, sánscrito, hindú y árabe lo que da idea de que su origen es muy antiguo y que estaría situado entre el este de Europa y Oriente Medio. En realidad la palabra halva procede del árabe hulw que significa “dulce”. En el siglo VII existía un pastel llamado así, hulw, a base de dátil molido con leche. Siglos después, y tras ser modificado por varias culturas el término pasó a referirse a una pasta de sémola de trigo tostada con miel o azúcar y jarabe de dátil o uva. Desde entonces ha evolucionado a una multitud de formas, ingredientes y métodos variados.
La palabra actual se deriva de halvais, nombre de la casta o gremio de pasteleros procedentes de la India que lo cocían en unas cocinas llamadas “helvahane” en el Imperio Otomano. Estos “helvahane” eran como ahora un obrador moderno de una confitería actual donde se hacen multitud de masas, cremas, confites, etc, como por ejemplo los peltes, dulces hechos con zumo de frutas, almidón, y azúcar originarios de los paludes que se hacían antiguamente en las “helvahane”.
Halva: a sweet with ceremonial significance
In restaurants and home kitchens, it is common to find both flour halva and semolina-based (irmik helvası) halva, made with water or milk and sweetened with granulated sugar.
The Larousse Gastronomique states that "halva or halvah" is "an Eastern sweetmeat based on roasted sesame seeds, which are ground into a smooth paste (tahin) and then mixed with boiled sugar.
It has a high fat content and, although very sweet, a slightly bitter taste. Other types of halva can be aerated and whipped and cream or crystallized (candied) fruit may be added." Many people's perception of halva (or "helva," as it is known in Turkey) would fit in well with the Larousse definition and, while not technically wrong, by dismissing halva so easily they are missing out on some of the best tasting and simplest sweets and desserts available.
Halva is spelt in as many ways as there are varieties of the sweet: halva for English speakers, halava in Sanskrit, halvah for Hebrew, halwa in Hindi or Arabic and then more. The true origins of halva reflect this collection of languages, all centered around countries east of Europe and, while many cultures lay claim to inventing the delicious food, historians believe that it is an ancient confection originating in the Middle East. In fact, the name halva comes from the Arabic word hulw, which means sweet. In the seventh century hulw consisted of a paste of dates kneaded with milk. In the following centuries, as its popularity spread with the conquering and assimilation of cultures, the term referred to toasted flour or semolina mixed with honey or a sugar, date or grape syrup and made into a paste over a medium heat. Since then it has evolved into a multitude of things, incorporating an assortment of ingredients and cooking methods.
The word and the popularity of the sweet concoctions lead to the name of halvais, the confectioner's caste in India and to the helvacı, or sweet makers, in the kitchens of the Ottoman Empire. The helvahane was the kitchen where halvas were made. The helvahane could be likened to the pastry section in a modern-day professional kitchen. In the pastry section you will find chefs preparing and cooking all manner of sweet temptations, not just pastries, and yet this is how it is identified. So, too, was the helvahane responsible for the preparation of a vast array of foods and beverages, including preserved fruits, jams and sherbets, as well as pickled vegetables. The present-day peltes, sweets made from fruit juice, starch and sugar, originate from the paludes made in the helvahane.
From as early as the 15th and 16th centuries, aşure, baklava, kadayıf, muhallebi, zerde and halva were enjoyed by those eating from the palace kitchens.
"The helvahane acted as pharmacy to the palace, with medicines of the time carefully prepared under the supervision of the helvacı başı," he explains, adding that all manner of common ailments, including impotency, were treated with remedies from the kitchens. The belief in the link between food and health is perhaps born out by the fact that one of the first Turkish-language cookbooks was translated from Arabic by Muhammed bin Mahmud Şirvani (1375-1450), who was a physician to Sultan Murat II (1421-1451).
Despite these varied responsibilities, the kitchen, chefs and an incredible number of sweetmeats and desserts were identified by derivatives of the name "helva." The palace kitchen records show that during the circumcision feast of Sultan Süleyman's (1494-1566) sons in 1539, 15 different types of halva were served. While the whole populace would be invited to celebrate the occasion, halva was more than likely only served to people of significant standing within the empire or to those the sultan was eager to impress. Halvas were a common and seemingly compulsory item on the menus for festivals, weddings and circumcisions.
Since the earliest days of halva, it has held ceremonial significance. Various rituals are associated with the making of halva. Most commonly nowadays, halva is made in commemoration of a person's death and shared among friends, relatives and neighbors. While stirring the semolina or flour, prayers are said quietly for the deceased person. In accordance with the tradition of remembrance on the seventh and 40th days after a death and on every death anniversary, halva is again made and shared. Halva is also made and shared for births and religious holidays. It may be made to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (Mevlid Kandili) or on other occasions during the Islamic calendar year.
The halvas of the Ottoman era were made with flour or wheat starch. Recipes recorded in the 15th century include exotic halvas of butter, flour, saffron, honey, poppy seeds, pistachio and rosewater. Honey featured regularly as a sweetener. These days the most common halva found in restaurants is semolina-based (irmik helvası), made with water or milk and sweetened with granulated sugar. In home kitchens, it is common to find both semolina and flour halvas. Semolina halva usually has a granular texture, while that made with flour is more solid and can be rolled into balls. As with the early days, the variations are numerous and most cooks will distinguish themselves with a slightly different ingredient, method or presentation. Halva made with tahini is most commonly bought from shops and is not referred to frequently in historical texts. The crushed sesame seeds are formed into blocks and sold by weight. Tahin helvası can be found with pistachios, almonds or walnuts. It can be flavored with chocolate or caramel or can be served plain. Its texture is firm and can be a little chalky or fudgy. Another type of halva found today is kağıt helvası, which literally translates to paper halva, but is better described as a wafer. It is sold in sweets shops and by street vendors. These vendors often weave their way through backed-up traffic with their plastic wrapped, plate-sized goods stacked high. Kağıt helvası can be eaten plain, straight from the packet or with a scoop of ice cream.
Where to try halva in İstanbul?
It is difficult to find flour halva in any restaurant, so if you are not prepared to make it yourself, ask your best Turkish friend or their mother to make it for you. Some specialist delicatessens do sell flour halva and it is generally presented in almost fist-shaped mounds. Semolina halva is easier to find, be it made with water, milk, pine nuts or almonds. It has become a culinary custom of Turkey to follow a meal of köfte with sütlü irmik helvası (semolina halva made with milk). The halvas based on tahini and sesame seeds can be found in any number of shops that sell confectionary.
[EASY RECIPES]
Semolina halva with milk and almonds
Semolina halva is often prepared with pine nuts; however in the earliest days of the nomadic Ottoman kitchens, halva was made with flour, sugar, butter, milk and almonds.
Ingredients: 250g semolina, 250g granulated sugar, 100g butter, 450ml full-fat milk, 50g almonds, chopped or slivered Method: 1- Melt butter in large frying pan.2- Add semolina and almonds and toast over medium heat, stirring constantly (approximately 10-15 minutes) until both semolina and almonds are well browned. 3- Place milk and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil, ensuring all sugar has dissolved.4- Over a very low heat, slowly add milk syrup to semolina and stir thoroughly. 5- Cook until the mixture is thick, then cover and continue to cook over medium heat for five minutes. 6 - Turn heat off and leave covered for 10 minutes. 7- Gently stir the halva with a fork to separate the grains of semolina and serve warm.
Dessert dictionary
Aşure: a dessert of fruit, grain (specially labeled for aşure) and legumes. Prepared during the first 10 days of the month of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. Baklava: layers and layers of pastry (at least 40, if you are any kind of expert), most often with nuts and syrup. Kadayıf: a shredded-type pastry treated in many ways, but always laced in syrup and often accompanied by kaymak (very thick cream). Muhallebi: classic milk pudding from which a range of other rice flour and milk-based puddings have evolved. Zerde: a gelatinous dessert set with rice and, historically, wheat starch, flavored with saffron and eaten especially at celebrations.
miércoles, 9 de abril de 2008
GRECIA Y TURQUÍA / GREECE AND TURKEY
Es un documental que se puede proyectar sin necesidad de un profesor o especialista en Ciencias Sociales (por otra parte, las diapositivas pasan automáticamente cada 25 segundos), por eso toda la información está plasmada en la diapositiva, aunque el texto pueda parecer excesivo para el formato de imágenes; de todas formas, el volumen de lo escrito es superior a lo real, ya que la información está en doble texto, español e inglés, sin embargo hemos preferido esta opción porque la presentación puede servir además como instrumento de aprendizaje de idiomas.
With a small script - Physical Geography, Human Geography, History and Traditions – the pupils in Classical Culture in the 3rd year of Secondary Education (aged 15) spent several class sessions in the computing room, using Internet and looking for information about our future friends from Xanthi and Incirliova.
It is a documentary work which can be shown without a Social Science teacher (each slide takes 25 seconds) and all the information is shown in the picture. Although the text may seem too long for the images it contains, it is fast reading as the information is doubled (Spanish and English). We chose this option so that it can also be a means of language learning.
(You can see it in the download box).
martes, 8 de abril de 2008
Cuento de Navidad (3) / Christmas tale (3)
La Adoración de los Reyes Magos (por Alberto Carcelén Felipe)
Guuaaa!! Guuaaa! Este era el usual ruido que hacían los camellos de los Reyes Magos, que parecían estar muy cansados de tanto viaje por el desierto, pero estos reyes le dijeron a los camellos en árabe: 
-``¡O li, que boc ne tracpa ci verao su lipe!´´
Lo que quería decir:
-“¡Tranquilos, camellos, que el viaje merecerá la pena!”
El sol era agobiante y abrasador y la arena, bastante blanda, ardía como las llamas del infierno, pero tal era la obsesión de estos reyes que no se quejaban lo más mínimo.
Caía la noche, la arena era ya más bien un suelo, y había abundantes palmeras enormes llenas de ricos y sabrosos dátiles. 
Tiempo después los Reyes Magos terminaron de cruzar el desierto, una luz cegadora brillaba por toda la ciudad. No cabía la menor duda de que por sus ostentosos edificios árabes y por sus impetuosos palacios se trataba de la ciudad de Babilonia.
(Leer el resto del cuento pulsando en English)
Entonces uno de estos reyes dijo:
-´´¡Sucu, wa la nahar attin ya ohti va liz tafza!``
Es decir:
-“¡Mirad, ésta es la ciudad en la que se encuentra el niño!``
Estos tres reyes entraron en la ciudad y atravesaron las calles. Estas estaban llenas de mercados comerciales, ricos mercaderes iban de un lado a otro con sus mercancías, los mendigos se situaban en los huecos de las calles y ciertos animales corrían por las calles.
Tiempo después se divisaban al fondo unas colinas, y uno de ellos dijo al instante:
-´´¡Orbil es oohto egag shatti, vac sid atre skula!``
Traducido al castellano:
-“¡Esa es la colina en la que se encuentra el niño que salvará el mundo!”.
Subieron las colinas, tardaron mucho rato, pero al final divisaron el pesebre. Allí estaba el niño ´´Jesús`` acurrucado en una pequeña cunita entre sus dos padres, José y María. Los tres Reyes se dirigieron hacia él y el primero fue el que procedía de África (Baltasar) y a continuación le dijo.
-“Oj et saun ile, silbec ony!``
Esto era:
-“¡Yo te ofrezco oro, mi queridísimo niño!”.
El siguiente Rey que se dirigió hacia él procedía de Asia (Melchor) y a continuación le dijo:
-´´Oj et saun ile, silbec ony!``
Esto era:
-“¡Yo te ofrezco mirra, amor mío!”.
El último rey que se dirigió hacia él procedía de Europa (Gaspar) y le dijo continuación:
-´´Oj et saun noty, rodobless!``
Esto era:
-“¡Yo te ofrezco incienso, Salvador!”.
Con esto os quiero decir querido lector/a, que todo esto era un bellísimo momento, pero hay un refrán que dice ´´ Nunca llueve a gusto de todos`` porque en otra parte oculta de Babilonia se encontraba el mismísimo diablo , y se había enterado de que había nacido ´´el niño que iba a salvar el mundo`` y rabiaba de cólera y una profunda envidia, así que llamó a sus secuaces y les ordenó que fuesen a verlo y que luego volviesen a él a informarlo. Éstos evidentemente obedecieron y se dirigieron a verlo, pero a escondidas para evitar ser descubiertos.
Nada más llegar al pesebre uno de ellos subió al tejado, otro de ellos miraba por un boquete y otro asomaba su cabeza por un hueco, todos contemplaban la adoración de los Reyes Magos al niño, pero en este momento se estaban despidiendo, subían a sus camellos y se alejaban en el horizonte, cada vez más lejos hasta que eran perdidos de vista.
Después de apreciar todo esto, los secuaces del diablo se marchaban corriendo y acudían al diablo para decirle todo lo que habían visto, al oír esto el diablo estaba furiosísimo, ardía de ira y pegó un grito tan fuerte que se podía haber quedado mudo. Y decidió que esa misma noche iba a extender una maldición por toda Babilonia y por toda la tierra hasta dejarle destruida.
Llegó la oscura noche, el diablo se fue a lo alto de una colina para extender la maldición, pero su hechizo maligno no salía. Sin embargo, el suelo en el que él se encontraba se empezó a abrir con una brecha, y el diablo cayó sin piedad alguna, por lo que se vio obligado a vagar durante toda la eternidad por el infierno.
Así fue como el diablo fue castigado justamente, no se sabe si fue un castigo de los poderes del niño Jesús, o si fue un castigo del destino, no se sabe…
THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI TO THE CHILD
Grumph! Grumph! This was the usual noise that the Three Wise Men´s camels made. They seemed to be very exhausted of travelling so long across the desert, but these Wise Men told their camels in Arabic:
-“O li , que boc, ne tracpa ci verao su lipe”
which meant:
-“ Calm down, camels ! The trip will be worth!
The sun was stifling and burning and the sand, which wasn´t set enough, burnt like the flames in Hell but the Wise Men´s obsession was so big that they didn´t complain at all .
It was getting dark, the sand was more or less a stable ground and there were many large palms, full of delicious and tasty dates.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Some time later the three Wise Men finished crossing the desert. A blinding light shone in the whole city. There was no doubt that it was the city of Babylon because of its sickly Arabian buildings and its ostentatious palaces.
One of the three Wise Men said:
-“Sucu, wa la nahar attin ya ohti va liz tafza”
That´s to say:
-“Look! This is the city where the Child is!
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
These three Men reached the city and went across the streets. They were full of commercial markets. Rich merchants went from place to place with their goods. Beggars sat on the pavements in the streets and certain animals run freely along the roads.
Later they made out some hills in the distance and one of them said something in that very moment:
-“Orbil es oohto egag shatti, vac sid atre skula !”
Translated into English:
-“That is the hill where the Child that will save the world is!”
They went up the hill. It took them very long but in the end they saw the manger.
The Baby Jesus was there. He was curled up on a little cradle between his parents, Joseph and Mary. The Three Wise Men went towards him and the first one was the one who came from Africa (Balthasar) and told him as follows:
-“Oj et saun ser, le situ ne!”
This was:
-“I offer you gold, my dearest baby!”
The next king that went close to him was the one that came from Asia (Melchior) and said:
-“oj et saun ile, silbec ony!”
This was:
- I offer you myhrr, my beloved!
The last king who went to him came from Europe (Gaspar) and said afterwards:
-“oj et saun noty, rodobless!”
This was:
-“I offer you incense, savior!”
With all this I want to tell you, dear reader, that all this was a beautiful moment but there is a proverb that says “you can´t please everybody!” and that´s why in another hidden part of Babylon there was the Devil itself and he knew that the Child that was going to save the world had been born . He was dying with anger and he had a great envy, so he called his henchmen and ordered them to go and see him and afterwards to come back to inform him. These obeyed, of course, and went to see him but secretly to avoid being found.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
At the same time they reached the manger, one of them went up to the roof. A second one looked through a hole in the wall and the third one leant his head out of a
cavity. All of them gazed at the Adoration of the Magi to the Child.
But at this very moment they were saying goodbye to the son and they got onto their camels to go far away on the horizon, farther und farther away….. till they couldn´t be seen anymore.
After contemplating all this, the Devil´s henchmen run away and went to see him to tell him all the things they had seen. When the Devil listened to all this he lashed out in anger, he had a fit and shouted so loud that he could have become mute. And he decided to put the whole Babylon and the earth planet under a curse that night till they were destroyed.
It became dark, the Devil went up a hill to put his curse but his evil spell didn´t work. Nevertheless, the ground where he was staying on began to break and the Devil fell into the breach merciless…that´s why he was condemned to wander in Hell.
As the Devil was punished fairly, we don´t know if it was a punishment made by Baby Jesus´s powers or it was a punishment of Destiny .Who knows…?.
Alberto Carcelén Felipe
sábado, 5 de abril de 2008
¿Sabías que...? / Did you know that...?
...Según la leyenda, el Arca de Noé llegó a tierra en el Monte Ararat en el Este de Turquía?
Así que esto significa que todos somos descendientes de ese grupo de personas y animales que sobrevivieron al Diluvio Universal. Por lo tanto, algunos de nuestros ancestros son turcos.
Si quieres saber más curiosidades y leyendas, te recomendamos la presentación en Power Point que han hecho nuestros compañeros turcos. Se titula "Did you know that...?" y está en la caja de descargas.
También puedes aportar tus sugerencias sobre curiosidades y tradiciones de nuestro país para compartirlas en el espacio Comenius. Puedes mandarlas a nuestro correo electrónico: http://www.iesmonastil.secre@gmail.com/.
According to the legend, Noah's Arch got to Earth on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey?
That’s means we are all descendants from that group of people and animals that survived the Flood. So, some of our ancestors are Turkish.
If you want to know more about curiosities and legends, we recommend the Power Point Presentation our Turkish friends have done. It is called “Did you know that...?” and it is on our download box.
You can also bring forward any suggestion about traditions and curiosities in our country to share them out in our Comenius space. You can send them to our e-mail address: http.//www.iesmonastil.secre@gmail.com/.
Atatürk (2)
El 23 de abril de 1920 se reunió el primer Parlamento verdaderamente democrático en Ankara. El mismo Parlamento decidió cuáles serían los límites de la patria (fronteras) y cuáles los objetivos a conseguir. Después de esto el estado turco inició una guerra de independencia. El 22 de agosto de 1922 se dio comienzo al Gran Asalto que llevó a conseguir la independencia de Turquía mediante la firma del tratado de Lausanne.
Después de la victoria en octubre de 1923, Mustafá Kemal fue nombrado primer presidente de la República. A partir de entonces se dedicó a convencer a los turcos de que era necesario e inevitable acometer una serie de reformas. Cosa que consiguió gracias a su poder de convicción, pero al mismo tiempo supo escuchar y entrevistarse con numerosos líderes políticos y religiosos que admiraban en él su capacidad de liderar un movimiento de liberación que permitió que la nación turca pasara de una situación caótica y de guerras constantes a una república moderna, con grandes posibilidades de crecimiento. Estas son algunas de las reformas que introdujo: creó un nuevo sistema político y legal, secularizó el estado y la educación, suprimió el califato, dio a las mujeres los mismos derechos que los hombres, cambió el alfabeto árabe por el latino, adoptó el calendario internacional, hizo cambios en la indumentaria de corte árabe para occidentalizarla y acometió numerosos avances y progresos en la educación, las artes, las ciencias, la agricultura y la industria.
After losing World War I, Atatürk joined the whole Turkish army against the Greek invasion, which pretended to settle the so hard Sèvres Treatry. They beat the Greek and expelled their troops from the country. He recovered the national Turkish pride and devoted himself to develop his country introducing the essential ingredients of a modern state.
The first really democratic parliament was formed in Ankara on April the 23rd 1920. This same parliament decided which the borders of the country would be and which objectives were to be reached. After that, the Turkish state began an independence war. The Great Assault started on August the 22nd 1922, with which Turkey got its independence and the Lausanne Treaty was signed.
After the victory in October 1923, Mustafa Kemal was named the first President of the Republic. From then on, he tried to persuade the Turkish of the need to undertake some neccesary changes. He succeeded thanks to his powerful convictions, but at the same time he liked to consider and interview other political and religious figures who admired his capacity of leading a freedom movement which allowed the Turkish nation to change from a chaotic state of regular wars to a modern republic with a lot of possibilities of growth. These are some of the reforms he promoted: he stablished a new legal and political system, introduced the secular state and education and suppressed the caliphate, gave women the same rights as men, changed the Arabic alphabet into the Latin one, adopted the international calendar, made changes in the dressing of the Arab court to westernize it and underwent plenty of advances and improvements in education, arts, science, agriculture and industry.
jueves, 3 de abril de 2008
Sorolla, "Visión de España" (2), Sorolla, "A view of Spain"
Su peculiar visión de España a menudo ha sido tachada de superficial e intranscendente y sufrió el rechazo de sus contemporáneos. Esa corriente antimediterránea que confrontaba Castilla (misticismo y autenticidad) y Mediterráneo (superficialidad y goce de vivir) hoy está totalmente superada y a Sorolla se le ha colocado en el puesto que merece. La exposición de Valencia es prueba de ello.
Como dice el actual responsable de la colección Sorolla de la Hispanic Society, Marcus B. Burke, la exposición “Visión de España” es la capilla sixtina del regionalismo español. Y precisamente de regiones, de costumbres y tradiciones hablaremos en los próximos posts.
Let us include a brief presentation of Sorolla for our readers in Greece and Turkey. Joaquín Sorolla is a very famous Spanish painter from the first part of the 20th century who represents the light and sun of the Mediterranean Sea as nobody else. Born in Valencia, he soon stood out in pictorial studies and was awarded with a lot of prizes.
From 1900 on, he falls apart from the academician style and sober painting which practises the 98 generation schollars who want to express the essence of Spain through the Castillian landscape. He then founded the Valencian School marked by an intense luminosity, the importance of colour and the free and outlined brushstroke.
His peculiar vision of Spain has often been considered superficial and unimportant, and was rejected by his contemporaries. That antimediterranean trend confronted the nowadays overslept confrontation between Castille`s misticism and authenticity with the Mediterranean`s superficiality and life enjoyment. At present, Sorolla has reached the recognition he deserves, and Valencia`s exhibition is a proof of it.
As the present delegate of Sorolla`s collection at the Hispanic Society, Marcus B. Burke says, the exhibition “Vision of Spain” is the Sixtine Chapel of Spanish regionalism. And it is exactly about regions, customs and traditions that we will talk about in our next posts.
Ahmet Çallioglu Çok Programli Lisesi (Aydin, Turkey)
Primary School of Afxentio (Xanthi, Greece)
I.E.S. Monastil
