Mevlevi Sema
Sema or Sama is a Sufi term meaning that the Sufi hears the sound and meaning while listening to the musical melodies, moves in ecstasy and turns into ecstasy.
It comes from the word semi meaning "hearing" in Arabic and it means "song, tune, music, dance" metaphorically. Over time, it became a name for Sufis to listen to poems and hymns in a state of ecstasy, and during this listening they came to ecstasy and made dhikr while standing. During the whirling dervishes often danced whirling, so the sema was also called "devir ve deveran" (turning). According to the understanding of Sufism, all the facts of the universe are heard during the sema, and those who perform the whirlwind then try to act and live as these realities require.
The sema, which was performed with religious and mystical enthusiasm by Mevlana, one of the 13th century mystics, developed gradually, especially after Mevlana, and became a ritual in its own right. Today, the Mevlevi ritual is called "sema" for short. Mevlevi whirling ceremonies are one of the heritages of Turkey registered in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity determined by UNESCO.
