- Pir Müslüm Aktar
Alevis and the Cem Ritual: Meaning, Structure, and Transformation
Note: This recording was made in German. In this video, Pir Müslüm Aktar discusses the cem ritual in Alevism. He explains what a cem is,...
- Baba Sedat Bican
Taking Dem, Sâkilik, Taking Dem in the Cem Ritual, and Dem in Everyday Life – Baba Sedat Bican
In this video, Baba Sedat Bican discusses the practice of dem almak (“taking dem”) within the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. Contrary to the exclusionary and discriminatory claim...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Ağuçan Ocak
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan, an Ocak member of the Ağuçan Ocak and an active pir, presents an insider perspective on how Ocak memory...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Cem / Cıvat, Musahiplik, Ana Kapısı in Alevism, Ağuçan Ocak
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan, a pir affiliated with the Ağuçan Ocak, explains from an insider perspective the principle “yol incineceğine can incinsin”, one...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Marriage and the Marriage Ceremony in Alevism, Musahiplik, and the Deyiş & Gülbenk Recited during the Ceremony
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan explains the institution of marriage and religious marriage (nikâh) in Alevism from an insider perspective, together with the rituals...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Funeral Rituals in Alevism, Deyiş and Dua, and Mıle/Molla in the Dersim Alevi Tradition – Pir Cemal Cenan
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan speaks about funeral rites in Dersim Alevism and clarifies the phenomenon of molla/mıle, an institutional figure that is still...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Ancestor Worshipping in Alevism, Sacred Places (Jiare), Kalu Bela, and Devr-i Daim – Pir Cemal Cenan
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan speaks about the culture of jiare (sacred places/visits) in Dersim Alevism and explains this belief practice from an insider...
- Pir Haydar Buğa
Gağan, Khal u Fatık, Dersim, Raa Haqi, Nature and Alevism, and the Alevi Calendar – Pir Haydar Buğa
In this video, Pir Haydar Buğa offers a detailed account of the Gağan rituals in Dersim Alevism and of the performative play Khal u Fatık,...
- Pir Haydar Buğa
The Dersim Alevi Calendar, Gağan, the Xızır/Hızır Fast, Hewtemal – Black Wednesday, and the Month of Mourning
In this video, Pir Haydar Buğa provides a comprehensive discussion of the religious understanding of time known as the “Alevi calendar” in the tradition of...
- Pir Haydar Buğa
Sacrificial Practices in Alevism: Blood and Bloodless Offerings – Pir Haydar Buğa
In this video, Pir Haydar Buğa examines sacrificial rituals (kurban) in Alevism and the phenomenon of sacrifice within a multilayered framework of belief and meaning....
