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Kurtuluş was home to the popular Baklahorani, which is a carnival celebrated by the Greek Orthodox residents of Istanbul on the last Monday before Lent. It began as early as the 19th century and was celebrated annually until it was banned by the Turkish government in 1943.
The festival was open to all members of the community, not only Greeks, and became a huge event. People would dress up in masks and costumes and dance down the street from the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery until they reached St. Demetrios Church.
Baklahorani was revived in 2010 by Hüseyin Irmak, a researcher who was born in Kurtuluş, and Haris Theodorelis Rigas, a Greek living in Istanbul. The revival lasted only a few years.
2012 Baklahorani
While living in the neighborhood in 2012, I was able to enjoy the festivities with a group of Turkish friends. We threw on some costumes and joined the parade as they danced down Bozkurt Street to St. Demetrios Church.
After dancing outside the church in cold and rainy weather, we followed the celebration indoors. The crowd included local Greeks as well as many who visited from Greece, Turks, and more.
The rest of the videos show participants, many in costumes, performing traditional greek dances. The party lasted for about 3 ½ hours indoors and finished just after midnight. It was a truly memorable night. I still reminisce about it with my Turkish friends who joined the celebration with me.
