Alevi Worship

What you are about to experience is sitting in on an Alevi worship time. The worship time described is very close to what happens today – with one slight change – the focus in this account is on Jesus. THIS is what we are asking you to pray for – that the Alevi people would turn their focus to Jesus.

We would love to see every segment of Turkish society reached with the good news and form believing communities among them. However, God has given an open door among the Alevi communities and we hope to focus our efforts among them.

 Will you join us in praying for them?

Imagine you are in a poor Turkish home on the outskirts of a large city in Turkey. Ali and his wife Fatma own the house. They moved their family of 6 children to the big city a few years ago from their little village in a far corner of the country. They came to the city in hopes of making a better life for themselves. Unfortunately, their lives haven’t improved at all, but it would be much more difficult to return to the village.

Ali works in construction, when he can find work. He bends rebar and builds forms for poured concrete buildings. In addition to the ‘normal’ problems of bad living conditions, poverty, and little job opportunity because of lack of skills, Ali and his family are looked down upon because they come from a minority non-Sunni branch of Islam known as the Alevis.

From time to time, the family is persecuted because they are different. The Alevis don’t attend the  mosque but have their own worship meetings in their homes. Men and women are mixed and there is singing and worship dancing – similar to folk dancing

It is Thursday evening, the night for their worship meeting, called a cem (jem). Ali and Fatma have cleared the few pieces of furniture from the largest room of their home. Although they still look nice, the Turkish rugs that cover the floor are old and worn. On one wall hangs a picture of a shepherd with his sheep; another wall, a lion. A picture of a dove hangs in another area. There may be a picture of Jesus. But you can’t tell for sure as the figure is dressed in Middle East clothing rather than what may be typical pictures of him.

Several wall hangings also have sayings on them. “Come friends, let us be one” and “Take charge of your hands, your tongue and your loins”. These are familiar Alevi phrases. There may be other sayings as well – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in the Messiah Jesus.”

People begin to show up at the house around 7:00 p.m. Some are relatives, some have come from the same village that Ali and Fatma moved from. This house is chosen for the meeting as it is the largest in the neighborhood. Everyone has brought food to share in what is called the lokma. These apples, lamb, and other foods are brought to be shared later in the meeting as a communal meal. They refer to each other as can (John – meaning soul) while the men address the women as baci (bahdja).

The elder – referred to as the dede (dayday), sits in the room where all can see him as they enter. As the people come in, they kiss the back of the dede’s hand and put it to their foreheads as a gesture of respect. Then they take a seat by kneeling or sitting cross-legged on the floor in a large circle.

As you look around the room, you notice that the men are dressed in simple, clean but shabby clothes of drab brown or gray. Most have rather worn blazers on, and worn slacks. Many of the men wear caps on their heads when outside but have them off now that they are inside the home. No one is wearing shoes. Most of the men have mustaches (many longish, hanging over the top lip), and many are somewhat scruffy from not having shaven that day (most only shave every few days). Their skin tone is a bit darker than average, both from their ethnic background and from spending their days out in the sun almost every day (most work in construction).

The women are seated in the same room as the men, some seated mixed with the men and some off to one side of the room. You remember that mixed seating is unusual for Turks but is the standard practice for Alevi worship times. The older women have scarves on, not so much for any religious reason as for modesty (to show that they are upright women). The younger ones may or may not have scarves on; some do, some don’t. The older women wear baggy pantaloons with simple dark skirts covering them, and simple blouses with sweater vests that they have hand-knit themselves over the top of that; again, dark skin. You realize that all these people are working class who have moved in from the villages. Kids are running in and out of the room, but relatively quietly; when they get too noisy they are hushed.

The meeting is started by the elder with a time of general discussion where any problems can be addressed and discussed. You notice that the dede is referring to the Bible in his hand over and over again as he facilitates the discussion of issues. If any members of the group are at odds with each other, the dede helps them to discuss it and encourages them to reconcile right there before the whole group; people who refuse to reconcile are not allowed to remain and participate in the meeting. As necessary the dede brings discipline cases before the whole fellowship as a “people’s court” reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8. If a person simply won’t listen, they are disciplined out of the fellowship as a final step called “düşkünlük” (prounounced “deush-kewn-luke” and means “fallen away”).

Next is a time of prayer and singing led on the saz, the national folk instrument of Turkey. If the dede had known how to play he probably would have led the time, but this dede doesn’t, so several others in succession (called zakirs or aşiks) lead this time, which lasts for hours. They call their worship songs nefesler, which you recognize as the words that Alevis always use for their worship songs. In fact, you recognize several of the melodies as classic Alevi worship melodies. Prayer by anyone who wants to lead out is interspersed in this time. At times when a vocal “Amen!” might be expected, people shout, “Allah, Allah!” You notice that Jesus is the focus of the singing and prayers. Later 5 or 6 people stand up and do a worship folk dance in the middle of the room called a semah, accompanied by saz. Several different groups in succession may stand and participate in semahs.

5 or 6 hours may pass this way, then a communal meal (the lokma) is distributed. At this time the dede leads the group in the Lord’s Supper lokma together as part of the standard Alevi lokma ceremony, and then the meal is eaten together with glad and sincere hearts in reverence and thankful joy. This is the crowning and key activity of the time. The meal consists of bulgar or rice pilav with some meat in it, on large platters, eaten together in small groups, with bread and some fruit konserv (very liquidy sweet water with some fruit in it). The wine is referred to as dem. (Or perhpaps they don’t use alcohol and so use şerbet, a sweet fruit drink, instead.)

You notice that outside morning is just breaking. The dede gives a closing prayer and the meeting is over and all disperse to their homes, leaving you to contemplate what you have just witnessed and experienced.

Thank you for praying.

Alevi terms/definitions

Cem (jem) – a religious celebration or worship time, normally held in private homes or a communal building

Lokma – a sacrificial meal shared at the end of the worship time

Nefes – hymns accompanied by a saz

Saz (sawz) – a seven stringed lute used to accompany the dancing

Semah – dance

Dede – leader, a man recognized to have spiritual and moral authority in the community