Bingöl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi

Öz

Called transition periods, beliefs and practices related to birth, circumcision, marriage and death have significant importance for human life. The practices related to birth are performed for the purpose of bringing the life to a regular order, making the child healthier, protection from evil spirits; those associated with circumcision are performed for the purpose of earning the child a certain statute; those at the wedding are performed for a healthy and happy marriage, and the practices related to death are performed in order to ease the transition of the decedent to the hereafter, and the spirit not to harm the others alive and to respect to the spirits of the ancestors. In short, purposes of the beliefs and the practices during the transition periods are to ensure a healthy transition of the person to the next period of his life and to protect him from various dangers. In this study, we will intend to present beliefs and practices during the transition periods with regards to data compiled in Bingöl, which is located within the borders of Eastern Anatolia Region and where oral tradition is still alive in comparison to the cities in the Western regions.