PodcastTurkish province celebrates its own Halloween tradition dating back to Middle Ages
In Turkey's western Edirne province, locals went door to door wearing scary makeup and costumes to keep the tradition known as Bocuk Night alive.
Tamer Yavuz / Gazete Duvar
In Turkey's Thracian Edirne province, people on Feb. 8 night went door to door wearing scary makeup and costumes to celebrate Bocuk Gecesi (Bocuk Night), a medieval tradition resembling Halloween.
Bocuk Night, a ritual celebrated in the Balkans and Thrace to ward off evil spirits and seek abundance and prosperity, was held last night in the village of Çamlıca in Edirne's Keşan district.
According to the tradition, which is said to date back to the Middle Ages, people wrap themselves in sheets and scare their neighbors by shouting "Bocuk is coming."
Bocuk is considered a malevolent spirit and believed to roam in white and take on a human appearance.