Alevi Calender

  • 13-15 February (Each Year)

    The Fast of Khizir

    Hızır is a mythological angle-like persona helps those who are in need of. Whenever Alevis are in a difficulty, they cry “Help Ya Hızır!” to call him for help. To honor Hızır, Alevis fast for three days in every year.
  • 21 March (Each Year)

    Sultan Nevroz

    Newruz in Persian and Newroz in Kurdish mean a new day and stands for the New Year Day in the old Persian calendar. Kurds also celebrates as the liberation struggle of Kawa against the tyrant king Zuhal. In Alevism, the night of 21st of March is celebrated as the birthday of Ali and Turks celebrates for the beginning of Spring.
  • 05-06 May (Each Year)

    Hidrallez

    The celebrations for the beginning of Spring.
  • 06-07 June (Each Year)

    The Abdal Musa Festival

    The festival organized in the name of saint Abdal Musa in Antalya.
  • 15-18 August (Each Year)

    The Haci Bektash Veli Festival

    The festival organized in the name of saint Hacı Bektash in Nevşehir since 1964.
  • According to the lunar calender (Each Year)

    The Asure Day

    The Asure soup is cooked and shared with any one as symbolizing the peace and love as well as symbolizing the support of Huseyin and followers ’s fight in Kerbela on 10 November 680.
  • According to the lunar calender (Each Year)

    The Masum-u Paklar Fast

    Fasting for the Fourteenth Innocents of Ehlibehy-t family who were killed. (according to the Lunar Calendar).
  • According to the lunar calender (Each Year)

    The Muharrem Fasting

    12 days (according to the Lunar Calendar*) the commemoration of Hüseyin and his followers.
  • 12 March 1995

    The Commemoration of Gazi

    The commemoration of 23 people killed in the Gazi District Event in Istanbul.
  • 02 July 1993

    The Commemoration of Sivas

    The commemoration of 33 people killed in the Pir Sultan Festival in Sivas in 1993.
  • 03 July 1980

    The Commemoration of Corum

    The commemoration of 80 people killed in Çorum province during seven-day bloody attacks by rightists militant on July 1980.
  • 19-24 December 1978

    The Commemoration of Maras

    The commemoration of 111 people killed in Maraş province during there-day bloody attacks by rightists militant on 19-24 December 1978.
  • 17 November 1937

    The Commemoration of Dersim

    Massacre in the summer of 1937 and the spring of 1938 of the local Alevi population of Dersim, now called Tunceli Province (in Turkey). Leader of Dersim, Seyit Rıza hanged by Turkish authority

[*] It is also interpreted as follows, be master of hand as be master of what you produce with your hand, namely, your labor; be master of your tongue as to preserve your culture; be master of your loin as be responsible about your children.

[*] The Muslim Calendar is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. This calendar is not synchronized with the seasonal change. With an annual drift of 11 or 12 days, the seasonal relation repeats about every 33 Islamic year. Therefore, the celebrations or commemorations based on the Muslim calendar come 11 days early in every Gregorian year.