Rain prayer rituals in Erzincan

The data obtained in the study, the subject of which is "Rain Prayer Rituals in Erzincan", was reached through fieldwork method. The universe of the study was grouped by cluster sampling, but the centers of the districts were left completely in the study area and the villages of each district were clustered. Random selection technique was used from the created clusters. In the field study conducted throughout Erzincan, the approach of the individual and the society in which they live to rituals, values and cultural practices were investigated in the interviews conducted with the participants using the unstructured, in-depth interview technique. The research shows that the belief in this tradition is still alive and strong. However, the information remains on the origin of the rituals are very weak. In the study, after the introduction section, information on the geography, history and name of Erzincan was given under the title "About the Study Area". The rest of the study is divided into three main sections. In the first section, basic concepts, important theories and the importance of rain prayer in Islam are included. In this section, the existence of rain prayer in the Ottoman period is shown with documents obtained from the archive. The second section is devoted to the main subject of the study, "Rain Prayer Rituals in Erzincan". The practices identified in the field are conveyed in this section. The third section covers the places where the rituals are performed and the ritual times. As a result, it has been observed that, despite the decrease in the forms of practice, the belief in "Rain Prayer Rituals in Erzincan" continues, the reflections of pre-Islamic belief systems on these rituals and the vitality of the practice. Keywords: Rain ritual, rain prayer, rainmaker, ritual place, Yada stone