Taşeli region transition periods

Folk culture assures harmony and order in person?s social life. History of the society, social structure, cultural events and technology developments effects the creation of folk culture. There are various events in person?s life. Birth, marriage and death periods are named as Transition Periods in folk culture. An individual is prepared to his new life with various rituals in transition periods. This study handles rituals in Taşeli Region related to birth, marriage and death referred as transition periods which are important stages of human life. Also, the traces of the old beliefs of Turks are searched in the rituals of the region. Finaly, these rituals are compared to the other rituals that takes places of different Turk communuties. The purpose of the rituals starting before birth in Taşeli region is birth of a healty child and maintain her health through her life. The fourty days after birth is considered very important. It is believed that mother and child is unprotected during these fourty days. Because of that some precoutions are taken to protect the mother and child from ill effects. With the application of some customs and traditions during marriage period it is intended to protect individual from evil and to be happy during his/her new life . Some sacred magical practices coming from the old Turk beliefs are applied to bless the new member joining the family. The purpose of the rituals performing through death period which believed the beginning of eternal life after death is to ease the dead?s passing to other world, to make him/her happy there and to improve the state of mind of the persons left behind. In this period in which Islamic practices are applied extensively some sacred magical practices are applied to prevent who left behind from the disturbance of the dead and new deaths. An overall evaluation is given at the epilogue of the thesis. It is appeared that the community creating the Taşeli region are fed from the same cultural source like the other Turk communities. Key Words: Taşeli Region, Transition Period, Beliefs, Turk Communities, Turk Culture.