Abstract:

Culture determines the way societies view the world, things and existence. There are three important turning points in all societies, beliefs and human life throughout history, which constitute an important aspect of human life, societies and cultures: Birth, marriage, death. Birth is the process that begins with coming into this world; marriage is the process that ensures the continuation of generations and societies; and death is the process that marks the departure from this world. In all beliefs and cultures, a number of practices and rituals have been created around transition periods. The ceremonies around the transition period in Turkish culture are the work of accumulation, change and transformation from the past. Poets play an important role in the transmission of culture. Âşık Mahzunî Şerif, who lived in the 20th century, created his poems inspired by Turkish folk culture, Sufism and Alevi-Bektashi tradition. Âşık Mahzunî Şerif included important periods of human life in his poems in order to express his feelings and thoughts to the society. In this study, the transitional periods in the poems of Âşık Mahzunî Şerif, which are limited to birth, marriage and death, are classified and the concepts belonging to the transition period are interpreted. It is concluded that Âşık Mahzunî Şerif uses the cultural elements of the transition periods symbolically in his poems based on his daily life.