Posted on: 28th February 2015
“Helesa is a tradition, which was established hundreds of years ago. A sailor crashed onto the shores of a small coastal town. After running out of food to eat, the sailor and his men decided to carry the boat through the streets of the town and sing a chant while asking for donations. Today, this is known as the Helesa song. “
HELESA
short documentary: culture & tradition
16 min
color
August 2012
director Yilmaz Vurucu
story teller Vural Etyemez
produced by Bahanur Nasya
Helesa is 16min documentary about a beautiful tradition, established to help receive aid from the local fishing community in Sinop/TR some centuries ago. Over time, the custom grew into a street festival. Fishermen, as well as the locals, would fill the streets, travel from apartment to apartment, from one small shop to another, chanting the Helesa song. The donations made would be used for a good cause. For one night during the month of Ramadhan, the whole town would unite for a good cause. This beautiful event of the year, is increasingly under threat. Many youngsters even don’t know the lyrics of the song, so participation is decreasing.
We produced this documentary, in order to underline the importance of such fairytale like stories for local identity. We hope, it attracts attention and the tradition is carried in to the future.
