Collective Entertainment Culture in the Context of the Shrine Phenomenon: Zêw

In this study, the role and function of z & ecirc;w, which we can title carnival, festivity, or festival in Southeastern Anatolia, in the construction of solidarity and integration in society is referred to. At the same time, the socio-cultural meaning of z & ecirc;w and what it socially produces are examined. Individuals come to their ancestral lands and organize festivities and feasts around the graves in unity and solidarity. While these events are held without conflict between different tribes and villages, they carry important functions that strengthen solidarity and integration in society. In the region, z & ecirc;ws are among the most important events for the allocation and production of solidarity, integrity, and unity by society. In our research, the events around the tombs in Turabdin, an ancient and sacred region in Southeastern Anatolia, will be handled. Around the phenomenon of visitation, which can be viewed as an extension of folk religiosity, rituals are performed that indicate both a spiritual connection with the sacred and a collective entertainment culture on the social plane. Numerous sacred rites, including ancestral recollection, spiritual fulfilment, prayer, sacrifice, and wish-making, are carried out during Z & ecirc;w festivities. Additionally, during the z & ecirc;w, potlac-style feasts are organized. The events organized during Z & ecirc;w, such forms of entertainment shaped by the local culture of the region as the javelin game, the mit & imath;rps' music, and the kilometers-long Anatolian folklore dance culture also exhibit a syncretic aspect in the same place. In this study, Seyyid Bilal and Sheikh Hasan, the most famous of z & ecirc;w festivals held on different dates and places, will be covered. Z & ecirc;ws' historical, cultural, socio-psychological, political, and economic functions in the region have been put forward. In this context, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants and the results were analysed. In the conclusion, the data obtained will be discussed by dealing with ritual, symbol and belief.