Every evening children gather around actor Hasan Demirci as he – in the character of "Ramadan Dede" (Ramazan Grandpa) – tells them stories about Ramadan, fasting and Turkish values, and gives gifts.
Within the scope of the "Ramadan Dede" project prepared by theater artist Vahit Atan with the support of Istanbul's Sancaktepe Municipality, important values of Turkish culture and civilization are conveyed to children.
Ramazan Dede, on the one hand, introduces the prophets and important heroes such as Ertuğrul Ghazi, Nene Hatun, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror to children, and on the other hand, teaches hymns or children's songs in the tent set up in Meydan Park.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) regarding the project, Demirci said that he started to perform for children as Ramazan Dede starting on the first day of Ramadan and that the number of children coming to the tent increased day by day.
Demirci stated that he was very happy to take part in the project.
"So many wonderful opportunities were presented to us that it felt incredibly good to share something about Ramadan and our culture with the children in such an environment. Every visitor told someone else, and our tent was no longer enough for us. Thanks to them, I am so happy to see the sparkle in the eyes of the children."
Demirci also noted that the architect of the project was Vahit Atan.
"(Atan) wanted there to be a character of Ramazan Dede, who tells stories to children during Ramadan and shares the energy in those stories, riddles and folk songs with them. I thought the idea was very good too. We embraced this project together because of the idea that we can convey our values, talk about Ramadan and convey something that belongs to us to our children. In fact, the stories we tell are stories we know, sometimes we forget, sometimes we don't listen to, sometimes we think have lost their importance, but we have brought them all back to life and we deliver them to our children."
Demirci stated that the children with whom they had good communication listened carefully to what was told.
"Today we talked about Nene Hatun, for example. What a valuable elder, ancestor and human being like Nene Hatun was (in our history). We take them out of history, introduce them to our children, and say, 'Look, there are these people, heroes too.' This is thanks to Sancaktepe Municipality."
Expressing that he loves children very much, Demirci pointed out that he has been working in jobs related to children for many years.
"I think I know them a little bit. I also know the shortcuts to reach them. We go through those shortcuts and meet at a point. I immediately become their grandfather. They immediately join in with the folk songs and answer my questions. This is incredible."
Demirci also touched upon the main idea behind Ramazan Dede.
"Ramadan Dede may seem kind of familiar to many people, but it is a different concept. We have created a character that has been inspired by the Dede Korkuts tradition to the present, combined with Islamic values and blending stories from the past with the present. We are talking about common human values, love, happiness, brotherhood. I hope Ramazan Dede reaches children in many cities and municipalities, not just in Sancaktepe. While we tell our own stories in a beautiful and innocent manner, we say, 'Look, we have such values, apart from television and mobile phones. Be aware of these as well.' I think we've been able to say that."
