Why do Çorum Hıdrellez celebrations matter? Read about spring rituals from Hıdırlık to Bağlar, the psychology of hope and making wishes, and community feeling.
In the first warm days after a long winter, something stirs inside us. We want to open the window, go outside, look at something green. In many parts of Anatolia this feeling has had a name for centuries: Hıdrellez, the traditional festival welcoming spring. Çorum Hıdrellez celebrations are one local face of this welcoming of spring; according to the province's cultural sources, they are held every year on 6 May at places such as Hıdırlık, Erzurum Dede, Sıklık Gorge and Bağlar. In this article we look at Hıdrellez not as a folklore topic but as a mirror of the relationship people form with spring, with hope and with their community. Why do spring rituals do us good, what do we lose when they fade, and how can we bring this feeling into our daily lives?
Çorum Hıdrellez Celebrations: What Do the Records Say?
In 2017 Hıdrellez was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage through a joint nomination by more than one country. In other words, this tradition is recognised internationally as a welcoming of spring shared not only by Turkey but by a wide geographical region.
According to the records of the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Hıdrellez is celebrated in the city on 6 May at particular places: Hıdırlık, Erzurum Dede, Sıklık Gorge and Bağlar. The same sources also record traditional games played by young girls, such as dalya, atlankaya and okkel. There is, however, no numerical data on how often these games are played today or how many people take part in the celebrations.
It is also worth remembering that community gatherings in Çorum's calendar are not limited to Hıdrellez. According to the provincial directorate's sources, the Kargı Fair has a history of around 100 years and lasts about a week each year in the first week of November. The International Çorum Hittite Fair and Festival has also been held since 1981. Spring and autumn gatherings take their place in the city's social life as shared moments marking the cycle of the year.
The limits of the data should also be stated. Whether elements specific to Çorum appear in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage could not be verified. The information in this article is based on sources published by the provincial directorate. The way celebrations are held can vary from family to family and neighbourhood to neighbourhood.
What stands out from a psychological point of view is this: in Çorum, Hıdrellez is associated with particular places. The ritual is not only a date but also a location. The very expression "going up to Hıdırlık" describes moving towards a place, stepping out of the home and out of the daily routine.
The Sociology of Rituals: Place, Community and a Changing City
Seasonal rituals were important moments that regulated the flow of the year in agricultural societies. Today, as cities grow and ways of life change, the function of these rituals is also transforming. The following should be thought of as possible factors rather than definite causes.
The shift from countryside to city. In a community living close to nature, the arrival of spring was an event that directly affected economic and everyday life. For someone who lives in an apartment and works in a factory or an office, spring can become more of a weather update.
Changing places. Rituals being tied to particular places means that when those places change, the ritual changes too. With urbanisation, the appearance of and access to areas where celebrations used to be held may change; this can in turn affect how people take part.
Transmission between generations. Traditional games played by young girls only survive when they are learned from the previous generation. Between school, screens and busy schedules, this transmission may weaken.
A faster calendar. School, exam and work calendars largely set the rhythm of life today. For many young people, May coincides with the most intense period of preparation for the LGS and YKS (Turkey's national high-school and university entrance exams), and for many adults with a period of rising workload. In such a calendar, setting aside a day to "welcome spring" can sometimes be seen as a luxury.
New ways of gathering. On the other hand, festivals, fêtes and municipal events can carry on some of the functions of traditional rituals in new forms. People still want to gather outdoors in the first days of spring; what changes is the form this takes.
Seen in this light, the value of Hıdrellez can be measured not only by "how it used to be celebrated" but also by what it can offer people today.
The Psychology of Spring Rituals: Hope, Wishes and Renewal
Rituals are patterns of behaviour that help people cope with uncertainty. Doing particular things on a particular day in a particular place creates a sense of order and meaning amid the complexity of life. We can group the psychological functions of spring rituals under a few headings:
- Marking a transition. The human mind likes to draw a line between "old" and "new". New year's resolutions, birthdays and spring celebrations support the feeling that "a new period is beginning now". This feeling can provide motivation for change.
- Making hope concrete. The tradition of making wishes associated with Hıdrellez offers people an opportunity to voice their hopes for the future. In psychology, hope is linked not only to a feeling but also to the ability to set goals and to think of the paths leading to them. Putting a wish into words can be the first step in this process.
- Shared emotion. Hoping alone is different from hoping together with a community. People who are in the same place on the same day experience a shared emotional climate. This helps a person feel part of a larger whole.
- Attunement to the season. In the long winter months, reduced daylight and movement can affect mood negatively in some people. Consciously celebrating the arrival of spring can help us notice this transformation and get the body moving again.
Spring rituals are less a day on the calendar than an appointment we make with the feeling that "I can begin again".
If you are curious about the effect of the winter months on mood, you can take a look at our article on seasonal depression and, for Çorum specifically, our article on short winter days and mood.
Gathering Outdoors: A Sense of Community and Wellbeing
The way Hıdrellez is celebrated in Çorum brings together two elements that are valuable for wellbeing: the open air and community.
That spending time in nature can help reduce stress and support mood is a subject frequently discussed in the research literature. Walking in green spaces, getting sunlight and moving the body can do us good, especially after a long winter.
A sense of community, meanwhile, relates to belonging, one of our basic human needs. In environmental psychology, the concept of place attachment describes how people form emotional bonds with particular places and how these bonds nourish a sense of identity (Scannell and Gifford, 2010). Meeting familiar faces in the same place every year can strengthen the feeling that "I belong here".
Çorum Hıdrellez gatherings have another feature too: they bring people of different ages together in the same space. In daily life older people, young people and children often live in separate worlds; a shared celebration allows these worlds to intersect for a short while. A grandmother telling her grandchild about the games of her youth can build a bridge between two generations that words alone cannot build.
However, we also need to accept that community rituals do not carry the same meaning for everyone. For someone who does not enjoy crowds, who experiences anxiety in social settings or who has recently suffered a loss, such gatherings can be challenging. The value of a ritual lies not in making participation compulsory but in opening the door to everyone who wishes to come.
Let's say a young person who has come to Çorum for university feels lonely during their first spring. At a friend's invitation they join a Hıdrellez celebration and, for the first time, feel they have stopped being someone "looking at the city from outside" and have become part of it. A single day does not change everything, but the first seed of belonging can be planted in a moment like this. We look at ways of building new connections in adult life in our article on friendship in adulthood.
Bringing the Spirit of Çorum Hıdrellez Into Daily Life: Suggestions
Hıdrellez is one day a year; but the renewal, hope and sense of community it carries can be brought into the rest of the year too. The following suggestions may offer some guidance:
- Notice the turning of the seasons. Mark the first days of spring, summer and autumn with a small ritual: a walk, a picnic, a small change at home.
- Write down your wishes. Writing your hopes for the coming period on a piece of paper can help you clarify them and think about which steps you can take. Try turning a wish into a goal, and the goal into small steps.
- Spend time outdoors regularly. Walking in nature or in a park a few times a week, even briefly, can support your mood.
- Join community events in small steps. If crowds are hard for you, you can try going to a festival or celebration for a short time with someone you trust.
- Tell children about traditions. Listening to grandmothers' and grandfathers' memories of Hıdrellez can help children build a bond across generations.
- Include losses in the ritual too. If there is someone with whom you spent these days in previous years but who is no longer with you, setting aside a small moment to remember them allows grief to find a place alongside spring as well.
- Create your own rituals. Small traditions particular to your family or group of friends strengthen the sense of belonging. They do not have to be traditional; it is enough that they are regular and meaningful.
None of these suggestions should turn into the pressure of a "to-do list". Spring does not arrive at the same pace for everyone; in some years a person may not feel ready to celebrate. That is natural too. What matters is not closing the door completely on the feeling of renewal, and being kind to yourself.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
You may notice that, despite the arrival of spring, the heaviness inside you does not lift. Seasonal changes can be challenging for some people. In the following situations it may be helpful to talk to a professional:
- If, at a time when everyone else is cheering up, you feel even lower, more hopeless or more reluctant
- If for a long time you have been unable to enjoy any activity and are withdrawing completely from social settings
- If you feel you no longer have any wishes or hopes for the future
- If entering crowded places causes intense anxiety, palpitations or an urge to escape
- If you are experiencing marked changes in your sleep, appetite or energy levels
These signs do not on their own mean a diagnosis. However, if hopelessness lasts a long time, or is accompanied by thoughts that life is meaningless or of harming yourself, it is important to seek support without delay; in an emergency you can call 112 (emergency services). You can find more information about difficulties with mood on our depression and mood page.
How Are Hopelessness and Disconnection Approached in Therapy?
In therapy, hopelessness and a feeling of disconnection from the community are addressed by looking at the person's thoughts, behaviours and relationships together.
Within the framework of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), automatic thoughts such as "Nothing will ever change", "Nobody wants me" or "Even if I go, I won't feel anything" are identified and their realism is examined. Together, the person and therapist notice how these thoughts push the person towards withdrawal, and how withdrawal in turn feeds hopelessness.
In the behavioural activation approach, small steps are planned in the areas the person values. For example, going for a walk outdoors once a week in spring or arranging a short meeting with a friend. These steps are kept small and adjusted to the person's energy; the aim is to regain the experience of "I managed it".
Hope itself can also be a direct focus of work in therapy. Remembering how the person overcame difficulties in the past, setting forward-looking goals, however small, and thinking together about the paths to those goals can help hopelessness gradually give way to a more balanced outlook.
With mood fluctuations that become more noticeable with seasonal changes, topics such as making use of daylight and building a regular daily rhythm can also be part of the work. Where considered necessary, an assessment by a psychiatrist may be recommended. This process can be carried out in Çorum through face-to-face or online sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hıdrellez celebrated in Çorum?
According to sources from the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Hıdrellez is celebrated on 6 May at places such as Hıdırlık, Erzurum Dede, Sıklık Gorge and Bağlar. The way celebrations are held can vary from year to year and from family to family.
Do rituals really benefit mental health?
Rituals can create a sense of order and meaning amid uncertainty; community rituals can support a sense of belonging. However, rituals are not a treatment in themselves; they should be thought of as one of the elements that support mental health.
Does making a wish actually work?
Making a wish does not change anything on its own, but it can help you clarify what you want. When you turn a wish into a concrete goal and small steps, hope becomes more functional.
I don't enjoy crowded celebrations. Is that a problem?
No. Everyone's social needs are different. However, if avoiding crowds comes with intense anxiety and is restricting your life, talking about it with a professional may be helpful.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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