The Hıra Dede charity event, which has a half-century tradition in the Pınarbaşı Neighborhood of the Saruhanlı district of Manisa, was organized again after a 10-year hiatus with the efforts of the villagers. The charity dinner was attended by the district protocol and hundreds of people from the surrounding villages.
Ahmet Güleç, the Headman of Pınarbaşı Village, stated that the charity dinner started again with the demand and support of the neighborhood residents and said, “Hıra Dede, one of the Khorasan saints, is the founder of Pınarbaşı, our village has a history of approximately 450 years. In our village, formerly called Hırı Kırı, charity dinners were organized in the name of Hıra Dede for years. When our neighborhood was a village, this charity tradition was held with large participation. We plan to continue the tradition with keşkek, an important dish of our region, as in the past, next year.”
Prayers for Abundance, Prosperity and Rain
The traditional charity dinner began with the mevlid-i sherif and prayers recited at Hıra Dede’s tomb. Then, food was served to the guests and the public. After the meal, prayers for abundance, prosperity and rain were recited.
| Mukhtar Gulec | Member Olcay Saribas |
|---|---|
| “We want to keep the tradition alive. We invite all of Turkey to this table next year.” | “It was very valuable for us to keep this beautiful tradition alive.” |
| “We hope that the charity dinner will continue in order to ensure unity and solidarity among people and to strengthen the feelings of brotherhood.” | “We did our best with all the residents of the neighborhood. We will hold our table again on these dates next year.” |
