Traditional Prenatal Customs Practiced Among Turks Living in the Romanian Dobruca Region

Abstract

The individual learns these practices and beliefs of the society, and he/she lives in with his/her birth and becomes a part of that society. A human, as a social being, goes through certain stages from the cradle to the grave, and these stages are called "Transition Periods" within the framework of folklore studies. These periods, which are classified as birth, marriage and death; It displays a rich appearance with many religious-magical processes and celebrations. In addition, it should not be ignored that these practices and beliefs have changed, developed or completely disappeared due to the geographical, economic and regional differences and the change in the basic dynamics of the social structure in Turkish society.

Birth, the first of the transitional periods, is always considered a happy event. This period, which ensures the continuity of the lineage in Turkish communities, is biologically and culturally important because it is the beginning of a human life. The practices and beliefs made in these periods; In addition to the purpose of celebrating and blessing the birth event, it is applied to protect the mother and baby who are open against harmful external influences from supernatural forces.

The study was written in the light of the information obtained from the source persons in our field research on "birth" and "customs formed around it" in the Constanta and Tulça regions, where Tatars live intensively, in Romania. A part of the compilation data we obtained has been examined under the title of prenatal by associating with historical ties and examples. The purpose of the article is to share the cultural accumulation of Dobruja Turks' birth traditions in written form and to convey them to future generations and to show that traditional values continue within the framework of integrity in the context of "birth customs" among Turkish communities.