Folk Heroes

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Folk Heroes Of Bulgaria

HITAR PETAR

Hitar Petar or “Clever Peter" is a character of Bulgarian and Macedonian folklore. Hitar Petar is a poor village man, but is very smart and has a very sharp mind. He is often presented as the "typical Bulgarian/Macedonian" and the opposite of the rich people. He is therefore regarded as a strictly positive figure and a hero of the common folk. As a character, Hitar Petar first appeared in the 16th–17th century, when Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule. In the stories he meets the Turkish folk hero Nasreddin Hodja and he manages to outsmart him so they eventually become friends in the end.
Hitar Petar is similar to other characters of European and Oriental folklore, more notable Nasreddin of Islamic folklore, the German Till Eulenspiegel, the Hungarian Lúdas Matyi and the Jewish Hershele Ostropoler.

BABA YAGA

Baba Yaga, known by various other names, is a witch character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant broom and it is believed that she kidnaps small children and then eats them. So it’s basically a negative character that parents use to scare their children. Baba Yaga lives in a house that stands on chicken legs.
In most Slavic folk tales, she is portrayed as an antagonist; however, some characters in other mythological folk stories have been known to seek her out for her wisdom, and she has been known on rare occasions to offer guidance to lost souls. According to Propp, she often fulfills the function of donor; that is, her role is in supplying the hero (sometimes unwillingly) with something necessary for the further quest.

BABA MARTA

Baba Marta ("Grandmother March") is the name of a Bulgarian folk figure of an old lady who brings with her the end of the cold winter and the beginning of the spring. Her holiday is celebrated in Bulgaria on March 1 with the exchange and wearing of martenitsi.
All Bulgarians celebrate on March 1 a this tradition and exchange martenitsi which is belived to bring health and happiness during the year and is also a reminder that spring is near.
The "Martenitsi" are red and white coloured wristbands, or figures, that symbolise health and happiness. They are given away to friends and family. People are supposed to take off their martenitsi when they see the first signs that spring has already come - a blooming tree or a stork. When the martenitsa is taken off some tie it to a tree - one that they'd like to be especially fruitful. Others place it under a rock and based on what they find there the next morning guess what kind of a year this one would be. So, the martenitsa always means the same meaning - luck against the evil spirits of the world, a wish for health and happiness.

Folk Heroes Of Hungary

MATT - THE GOOSE BOY

JOKES ABOUT MAURICE:

Maurice (who's Jewish) goes to school. The teacher announces:

-"I will give 2 bucks to someone who can name me the greatest and most achieving person in the world."

-"Leonardo da Vinci" says one kid.

-"Good, but I did not think of him" replies the teacher.

-"Perhaps Einstein?" asks the other

-"He is good but there is someone who was better" the teacher replies. While Maurice says:

-"Jesus Christ"

-"Bravo Maurice. Here is the 2 dollars, but I would have thought that being Jewish, you would have named Moses."

-"Of course. Moses is Moses, but business is business."

Maurice is in school, and the teacher asks him a question.

-"All right my boy, name all of the friendly countries in Europe."

-"Poland, Cechoslovakia, GDR, Romania and Bulgaria.

-"Not bad, but you've missed the most important one: the Soviet Union."

-"With all due respect, Soviet Union is not a friendly country. It's a sister country."

-"Why would that be?"

-"Because one can choose his friends, but not his sisters."

Maurice's parents are having sex, while Maurice is watching through the keyhole. Than Maurice asks:

-"Dad, what are you doing?"

-"I'm putting the car into the garage" replies his father.

-"Well watch out, because the two wheels in the back are sticking out."

Maurice is bringing home an excellent report card, so his dad disbelieving asks him:

-"Is this yours? Your report card looks too good to be true."

-"Of course it's mine dad. There are only two Jews in the class and one of them is crucified on top of the door. There is no competition for me."

Folk Heroes Of Lithuania

In Lithuania the folk heros are usually serious, sad or poor, most of them doesn’t have special names, only the common description like „the third brother fool“, „neighbor“, „witch“ and so on. Historically they come mainly from folk fairy tales, myths or songs, however there existс kind of modern folk heroes, who are real personalities, like politicians, pop stars or any strange people, famous for thier unusual habits.

Actually these „heroes“ doesn’t make jokes by themselves, they’re quite serious about what they’re doing, thus usually their attitudes and behavior look as a complete absurd, so the society makes fun of them by itself. The way of doing this is kind of ironic, sometimes sarcastic, the point is to mock someone’s strange behaviour or the way of thinking. For example Lithuanians laugh at themselves because of myths that foreigners create about them:

Of course, there are common points between other nations’ folk heroes, as it is usual for every nation to be dissatisfied with their politicians or make fun of too extravagant stars.

Funniest accident in Istanbul for Lithuanians was being there, as together with other participants we were so creative to make jokes of everything as we couldn't stop laughing for hours.

Folk Heroes Of Malta

Folk Heroes of Turkey

NAMES OF THE MOST POPULAR FOLK HEROES

q Nasreddin Hodja – Populist philosopher

q Karagöz and Hacivat – Contrasting couple which makes everybody laugh

q Temel – Fictional character from Trabzon

q Keloğlan – Traditional folktale character (Bald Boy)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THOSE FOLK HEROES

- Nasreddin Hodja is Turkey's (and perhaps all of Islam's) best-known trickster. His legendary wit and droll trickery were possibly based on the exploits and words of a historical imam. Nasreddin reputedly was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.

- Karagöz (meaning blackeye in Turkish) and Hacivat (shortened in time from "Haci Cevat" meaning "Cevat the Pilgrim", and also sometimes written as Hacivad) are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. The central theme of the plays are the contrasting interaction between the two main characters. They are perfect foils of each other: Karagöz represents the illiterate but straightforward public, whereas Hacivat belongs to the educated class, speaking Ottoman Turkish and using a poetical and literary language.

- The purely fictional Temel comes from the Laz Black Sea coastal region of Turkey and brings with him an endless stream of none–too-subtle, often Off color gags. No one ever accused Temel of being too smart -- he could have been the model for the film "Dumb and Dumber" -- and he (along his wife, family, and friends) is cast in obvious contrast to the more dignified Nasreddin Hoca.

- Keloğlan (English: bald boy) is a fictional character from the Turkish culture. As a well-known character - also known as keleşoğlan - Keloğlan has a problem of being bald from birth. He is the substitute of the Anatolian people who can have big dreams who are virtuous, prudent, a little bald, a little romantic and very sportive. There are a lot of short-stories that are written about Keloğlan for children to read. He is one of the most famous folk heroes of Turkey. He is also well-known in Europe. There are some Turkish movie serie about Keloğlan stories.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THEIR SENSE OF HUMOR

- Nasreddin Hodja is a satirical Sufi figure, sometimes believed to have lived during the Middle Ages (around 13th century) and considered a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humour, but it is claimed that within the tale there is usually also something to be learned.

- Hacivat is always the one with a level head. Though Karagöz always outdoes Hacivat’s superior education with his “native wit,” he is also very impulsive and his never-ending deluge of get-rich-quick schemes always results in failure. Hacivat continually attempts to “domesticate” Karagöz, but never makes progress.

- “Temel” is a prominent character of Laz jokes. “Temel” means in Turkish “basic,” but in this case, it connotes more of a stupid person. Temel also has friends called Dursun and İdris and a wife named Fadime

- Keloğlan represents the wisdom of Turkish countryside culture. Even though he is poor, he can solve all of the problems with his clever tricks. Through those tricks he also puts the problem making people into a funny situation by making them understand that they were wrong. He usually conflicts with those who have a high ego and brag about themselves. But at the end of story his mother beats him with her stick and humiliate him by saying that he is stupid. His little genie helper and his mother are supporting characters in his tales.

SOME EXAMPLE STORIES/JOKES (IF AVAILABLE)

NASREDDIN HODJA:

Hammam

One day The Hodja went to the hammam. Looking at his poor clothes, the workers at the hammam didn't treat him right and gave him torn towels. In spite of the lousy service, Nasreddin Hodja gave them all fat tips when leaving.The next time Hodja went to the hammam, the workers provided him with excellent service. They gave him the newest towels and massaged his back. However, this time The Hodja left them only small changes. One of the workers ventured to find out why.`Hodja Effendi, last time you gave us big tips...' he hinted.`Oh, yes. Those tips were for today's service,' Hodja replied, `today's tips are for my previous visit.'

Age

They asked Nasreddin Hodja his age.`Forty.' he replied.`But Hodja, when we asked you your age ten years ago, you gave the same answer!'`That's my word, and I stick with it.' Hodja said

Tray of Baklava

One day The Hodja and his friends were sitting at the coffee house. A young boycarrying a tray of baklava attracted the attention of one of the men.`Hodja Effendi, look!' he pointed, `That boy is carrying a tray of baklava.'`It's none of my business.' Hodja shrugged his shoulders.`But, Hodja, watch! He is taking it to your house.'`In that case,' Hodja asserted, `it's none of your business.'

TEMEL

When Temel got drunk...

"Ah my darling Fadime, drink makes you so beautiful," said Temel.
"But I didn't drink anything," replied his wife.
"Yes, but I did," he slobbered.

Temel the restaurateur...

A man comes into Temel's Restaurant. He orders a steak dinner, eats it, and finishes off his wine. With that he turns angrily to Temel and says, "That meal was terrible. I want to speak to the restaurant owner immediately. Where is he?" Cringing in fear, Temel squeaks out, "He's at the restaurant next store -- having his dinner..."

Temel drinks too much

Temel is drinking too much. To show him the harm, his friends throw a worm into his glass of whiskey. When the worm dies, one of his friends says, "Look Temel, what can you learn from that?"
Temel looks up blearily. "You should drink whiskey if you have worms in your body," he says.

COMMON POINTS BETWEEN OTHER NATIONS’ FOLK HEROES

There are characteristic similarities between Keloğlan and Clever Peter. Both characters are poor and have intelligent tricks to solve their problems, or create advantages from disadvantages. They both have donkeys as transportation vehicle, which they go everywhere together.

Maltese Gahan has similarities with Turkish folk hero Nasreddin Hodja. They both have dumb attitudes, however they also have an innocent and unique wise side.

THE FUNNIEST MOMENT OF YOUR STAY IN ISTANBUL

The crazy neighbour was so generous that he could provide us the hot water rain which made us scream “Hallelujah, it’s raining man!”.

Friday, September 9, 2011

NASREDDIN HODJA - Turkey

About Nasreddin Hodja

Nasreddin Hodja is Turkey's (and perhaps all of Islam's) best-known trickster. His legendary wit and droll trickery were possibly based on the exploits and words of a historical imam. Nasreddin reputedly was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.

Nasreddin Hodja is a satirical Sufi figure, sometimes believed to have lived during the Middle Ages (around 13th century) and considered a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humour, but it is claimed that within the tale there is usually also something to be learned. International Nasreddin Hodja fest is celebrating between 5-10 july in Akşehir, Turkey every year.

Hodja was clearly a beloved character whose advise and opinion the townspeople solicited and respected.They also loved to test his wit by playing mischievous games on him or by asking himabsurd questions. Hodja was often victim to the practical jokes of children and adults,who wanted to see how he would get himself out of trouble. But Nasreddin Hodja, to thedelight of his fellow villagers, was never stumped to deliver a witty one-liner.

The Funniest Jokes of Nasreddin Hodja

Hammam

Age

They asked Nasreddin Hodja his age.`Forty.' he replied.`But Hodja, when we asked you your age ten years ago, you gave the same answer!'`That's my word, and I stick with it.' Hodja said

Tray of Baklava

your business.'