When we think about carnivals, the vibrant atmospheres and over-the-top costumes of Mardi Gras, Rio and Venice spring to mind. Joining in on the festivities, Turkey's first carnival is bringing joy to the streets like a gust of fresh spring wind.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the International Orange Blossom Carnival started on Wednesday in Turkey's southern Adana province. The five-day event will host concerts, cultural and artistic events, and parades of dazzling costumes.
Turkey's first and only carnival will last until Sunday and is expected to be attended by thousands of people from across the country and abroad.
On Saturday Haluk Levent, a Turkish rock singer who revived the Anatolian rock genre in the 1990s, will take to the stage in addition to an array of performances by various choirs and artists.
Meanwhile, the excitement generated by the 10th International Orange Blossom is sweeping the city's streets.
The carnival includes many cultural and artistic activities and interesting projects. One of the surprises the carnival has in store is the Japanese musician Yukari Fumuro, who has mastered the Turkish language and bağlama, or saz, the most common stringed instrument in Turkey. Accompanying Fumuro is Japanese violinist Hikaru Wakita, who will spice up the carnival with his folk songs.
As a spectacle that brings together cuisine, entertainment, live music and colorful, over-the-top costumes, the festival has something for everyone, from cooking workshops, a speed-eating contest and an orange tasting competition to a public run, a water procession and the Turkish Jockey Club (TJK) pony ride.
"We are ready for the great return," said Haydar Bozkurt, the thought leader of the carnival and CEO of Toyota Turkey.
Noting that this year's carnival takes place just before the month of Ramadan, he said that people are enjoying being back on the streets after two years.
The event will bring together artists and groups from Turkey and abroad as well as local and national communities from an array of fields, from sports to art and entertainment, Bozkurt said, adding, "We promise those who come to Adana will leave satisfied."
Acknowledging that the world is "going through a period of great difficulties," Bozkurt called to tap into the same "friendship, brotherhood and love" that was used to organize the first carnival in 2013, adding that they aim to spread this strong energy to the whole world from Adana.
"We share the same feelings and wishes at the International Orange Blossom Carnival, which is held for the 10th time this year. We meet on the streets again, hand in hand, arm in arm, to convey our message of unity and love. As the people of a great and powerful country, we never lose our faith and hope in the future. This meeting, where no one marginalizes anyone because of their differences, based on tolerance, makes us happy," he explained.
Coupled with Adana's positive energy and the drifting scent of orange flowers, Bozkurt said the festival creates a "spring mood" that can be felt in the city.
