Beliefs related to death and funeral practices in Alevi faith

In this thesis, it is aimed to find answers to questions such as what death means in the Alevi faith, what are the beliefs about death, what kind of rituals are performed before, during or after death. Some data were obtained with the semi-structured interview technique, and these data were transferred with an objective point of view. In addition to the interviews, written sources were also used. These interviews were conducted by going to some cemevis in Ankara, interviewing Dedes and cemevi officials, and also meeting with women and men who belong to the Alevi faith. According to the Alevi faith, death is walking towards God and is called the termination of vital functions. There are many beliefs and traditions around death. The common purpose in all of these is to make the dead comfortable, not to hurt her/him, to do good for the deceased and send her/him reward to her/him soul, and to bring the soul of the deceased to peace. In addition, there is an expression in the Alevi faith that is expressed as "die before death" and that means to die while living. This does not mean dying physically but killing one's soul. In other words, it means that the person's being completely self-controlled while living, getting rid of her/him bad habits, does not enter the rightful share of another person and gets rid of their passions. In this context, death in the ceremony of confession in Alevi faith is expressed as dying before death. The person gives an account before the Dede and she/he goes through the interrogation. In order to go to the ceremony with her/him head held high, the person tries not to violate the rights of another person. She/he promises that she/he will dominate her/him hands, waist and tongue. As a result, there are many beliefs and traditions about death, which is an inevitable end for everyone, and there are differences in rituals according to some regions. Although there are differences in the rituals, the purpose is to make the dead comfortable, not to hurt her/him, to do good for the deceased, to send her/him rewards to her/him soul, to bring the soul of the deceased to peace.