With some 1,800 festivals held across Turkey every year, joining such events has to be one of the country's best highlights. Here are five local and unique festivals around Turkey, taking place in March, to give you a taste of the local culture and customs:
1- Karkın Snow Festival & Nature Walk Denizli – March 5
Held on the first Sunday of every March, this year the third edition of Karkın Snow Festival and Nature Walk, the last snow festival of the year, will take place on March 5. An event not to be missed by fans of nature sports and mountain climbing in particular, the festival will take place at Karkın Highland, located in the wooded highland district of western Denizli province. The event will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with a 5-kilometer walk from the Gürsu-Karkın road. Arriving at Karkın Highland, there will be live entertainment and music performances by local artists as well as folk dance performances. At noon, festival participants will be served a meal of locally-grown barbecued trout, followed by an array of activities including snow skiing, walking in snowshoes, peak climbing and winter sports that will run through to the evening.
2 - İbradı Snowdrop FestivalAntalya – Early March
Organized by the İbradi Municipality in southern Antalya province, the two-day İbradı Snowdrop Festival is held annually on the first week of March with a mission to inform the public about the snowdrop, a plant native to the area. Known as the harbinger of spring, the snowdrop is a self-sowing plant that grows on the Taurus Mountains. It emerges in spring – one of the first spring bulbs to bloom – yet, in mild climates it can be seen to appear with the first sign of winter – even sprouting through snow. The mindless and unplanned collection of snowdrop bulbs from the wild to sell them below their economic value is posing a threat to the species. Hence, the aim of the festival is to inform the public so the snowdrop continues to exist for future generations to see. The first day of the festival will feature local folk dance performances and a photo exhibition among various other activities. On the second day, there will be an excursion to Sülek Highland, allowing festival goers to examine the medical and aromatic plant in its natural habitat.
3 - Urla March 9 Herb Festival İzmir - Late March
Western İzmir province's quaint coastal town of Urla is home to the "March 9 Herb Festival," organized by the Doğal Sofra-Slow Food Association volunteers with contributions by the Urla Municipality. Colloquially known as "March 9" – the date of the festival based on the old calendar – and held in late March, the centuries-old two-day spring welcoming event, continuing to this day, aims to revive an almost forgotten custom and celebrate the bio-diversity of the peninsula.
On the first day of the festival, local herb enthusiasts as well as those coming from all corners of the country are given a tour of Urla's historical landmarks, with a taste of Urla dishes in the evening. The next day includes a trip to herb picking fields. Participants will be informed about how the herbs should be picked, the benefits of specific herbs and how to prepare and cook them. The next destination is the village marketplace to see the natural products and gözleme, a type of flat bread with filling – generally spinach and cheese – prepared by the villagers. This activity will be followed by a visit to the Antique Market on Urla Art Street to see various works by local Urla artists.
4 - Murat Carnival (Ser Hıvde)Diyarbakır – March 28-30
The Murat Carnival, held in the Silvan district of southeastern Diyarbakır province from March 28-30 every year, is one of Anatolia's oldest events. Although the actual start date is unknown, it is said the event dates back to 641 A.D. Every year, the three-day and three-night carnival receives tens of thousands of visitors from various Turkish cities – predominantly from the southeast. With bazaars set up throughout the carnival area, selling goodies for visitors to take back home, the chance to take part in horse races, attend a traditional henna night, join in the folk dances – typically a form of line dancing popular throughout the region – and dhikr, the invocation of God, accompanied by the daf, a frame drum similar to the tambourine, the Murat Carnival is sure to be an extraordinary experience.
5 - Manisa Mesir Festival
Manisa – March 21-25
The almost 500-year Manisa Mesir Festival tradition, which is believed to date back to the Ottoman era, is an annual event held in the Aegean Manisa province. It is said that mesir paste, a traditional sweet containing 41 different herbs, was originally prepared as a remedy for Sultan Süleyman's mother, Hafsa Sultan, who is ill with no cure to be found until then. Hafsa Sultan who recovers after eating the paste asks that the mesir paste, now consumed as a sweet treat, be used to treat the ill. Upon increased demand from the public, the sultan orders that the paste, wrapped in paper, be distributed to the public by means of scattering them from the dome and minarets of Sultan Mosque, built by Sultan Süleyman. Evenr since then, every year on March 21, people routinely gather in front of the mosque, giving rise to the emergence of the Manisa Mesir Festival, a major festivity in the city. The Mesir Paste Distribution Ceremony, is the highlight of the weeklong festivities, drawing in both local and foreign tourists. Continuing the age-old tradition, tens of thousands of people gather around Sultan Mosque every year, celebrating the awakening of nature, the arrival of spring, the start of the abundance period. The festival program also includes various cultural and sports activities.