Who can participate?
This event is open to everyone who has an genuine interest in Mevlana’s Sufism and is ready to appreciate it.
What are the requirements?
This gathering has its roots in Islamic traditions and is inspired by His Holiness Mevlâna Jalâleddîn Rumî. We ask the participants to acknowledge this and conduct themselves accordingly.
In order to keep the event in balance and harmony, we put together some guidelines or rules, if you will. Please read them and affirm that you approve of them before you decide to participate.
You are not required to participate in the whole event. We all participate as much as we want/can.
What exactly will we be doing?
Sema is the main purpose of the event and we expect the participants to understand and accept this before deciding to participate. Also there is a lot to be done to keep the sema going and this requires volunteer work.
Of course in such long events, there needs to be daily activities other than whirling or working. The dergah is located in a place with beautiful nature. You can take stroll to the village or the forest, bathe in the thermal waters, or take a ride to the seaside.
What is a day in the event like?
The kitchen volunteers, the musicians and perhaps the ones who take the late night sema turns usually use time tables and work in shifts. Other than that, the sema is not very structured in terms of a daily plan.
We could say that breakfast at 08:00 is the ‘official’ beginning of the day although this is the time when some of us go to sleep after a night of sema.
During the day there might be a sohbet (informative speech by the masters) or music therapy sessions.
Usually after dinner, there is a sohbet, with Masnavi reading.
And in between, the sema goes on.
Donations and volunteer work
Donations and volunteer work are subjects that receive many comments and emails. Perhaps, giving them a place on this page will make things easier.
Fees or donations
We have no sponsors and we are not rich. Our total expenditure for food, water, electricity etc. is covered by donations from participants.
It is our belief that money (or the lack of it) should not be an obstacle for people who want to attend the sema. That is why we collect donations, instead of charging a fee.
There is no fixed fee nor any minimum donation required for participation.
Volunteer work
All the work required to keep the sema going is done by volunteers. We hope and expect every participant to support the event by volunteering.
I don’t have money for contributions. but I can participate as volunteer
Donation and volunteer work are not alternatives to each other. Both are required for the event to continue. We have no sponsors, no paid personnel. To have food, someone must pay for it, someone must buy it, someone must cook it and someone must serve it. If any one of these tasks fails, than there is no food. The same goes for all expenses and services.
Unless you are living a hunter gatherer life, you are already spending money everyday for food or other necessities. You can at least contribute with whatever your minimum daily expenses would be.
Bottom line; you can participate without making any donations or doing any volunteer work. Until now, we haven’t had to keep track of this.
Accommodation
To learn about where you can stay during the event, please check our section on accommodation.