DERSİM - Khal Gağan celebrated by DBP-held municipality every year on New Year according to Hijri Calendar accepted by Kurdish Alevis wasn’t celebrated this year due to the trustee appointed to the municipality. 

 

Khal Gağan (Khal means old or elder, Gağan means December in Kırmancki) is celebrated in Dersim region by Democratic Regions Party (DBP)-held municipality every year on New Year according to Hijri Calendar accepted by Kurdish Alevis wasn’t celebrated this year due to the trustee appointed to the municipality. 65-year-old Esma Aslan gave information about Khal Gağan and she said Khal Gağan celebrations continued throughout December but the celebrations on December 29, 30 and 31 had another meaning for them. Esma said that lokma (morsel) have been distributed during the last three days of December and all people get along well with each other during these days, “Before the Armenians were exiled, Christian Armenians threw a cross into water while the Kırmanç people distributed lokma and lighted candles.” Stating that they kept this tradition for a while after moving to the city center from their village but this tradition has been forgotten in the city, Esma said this tradition was completely forgotten after 1990s. 

 

Celebrations continue throughout December

 

Esma talked about the ritual of Gağan and she said the people fast on December 29, 30 and 31 if they want and lokma (morsel) has been distributed every day. “Lokma has been cooked on December 29; it has been cooked on December 31 for the good of deaths. Khal and Fedik, old man and two people dressing like a woman, visit home by home accompanied with shawm-and-drum and they collect flour, oil, sugar and dry pulses. And at night, they give them to the people they need them and to orphans. They never take them for themselves.” 

 

‘Our culture is about disappeared’ 

 

Indicating that the belief of people is for themselves, Esma said that assimilation policies against Alevis cause the culture of Alevi society to be almost disappeared. Esma said, “We aren’t against their religion but our children take lesson according to their religion. We cannot raise our children according to our belief.” 

 

Khan Gağan 

 

Khan Gağan is an old tradition celebrated by Alevis in Dersim region. The celebrations start in the first week of December and continue until the first week of January. Children wear their best clothes and they go to collect presents with Khal Khek (old man). 

 

Another story told about Gağan is as follows: Khal and Fatik couldn’t find anything to eat because they didn’t work during summer. They were ashamed of asking food from their neighbors and they painted their faces to not be recognized by their neighbors. They told the people they were collecting food for poor people and collected food from every home.