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A festival celebrating the traditional practice of keeping and training sparrowhawks brought together bird keepers and students in Türkiye's northeastern province of Rize, highlighting efforts to preserve a cultural tradition and pass it down to younger generations.
Organized by the Turkish Folklore Society of Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, the Sparrowhawk Festival (Atmaca Festivali) took place outside the university's Congress and Culture Center, where participants displayed their birds and introduced visitors to the region's sparrowhawk-keeping culture, known locally as atmacacilik.
The program featured a procession of sparrowhawks and their keepers, demonstrations of calling the birds back to their handlers' arms, and traditional horon dancing, a folk dance associated with Türkiye's Black Sea region.
Gul Yilmaz Cal, a faculty member at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, said the festival aimed to keep the tradition alive by introducing its practices and cultural significance to younger generations.
She explained that sparrowhawk-keeping remains a passion among local residents, with some families setting aside dedicated spaces in their homes for the birds.
Sparrowhawk keeper Hazal Akdemir described the close relationship her family has maintained with sparrowhawks since her childhood, explaining that the birds have always been part of their household and are treated almost like family members.
For some residents, the tradition is reflected even in their names. Kadir Atmaca Aksu said people are often surprised to hear his name, but he sees it as another way to carry on Rize's cultural heritage.
He argued that there was nothing unusual about naming children after sparrowhawks, particularly in a region where the birds hold such cultural importance.
Huseyin Uzunhasanoglu, president of the Findikli Traditional Sparrowhawk-Keeping Association, welcomed the opportunity to introduce the tradition to university students from different parts of Türkiye.
He emphasized that tea and sparrowhawks are two important symbols of Rize, pointing out that the sparrowhawk also serves as the emblem of the city's football club, Rizespor.
Uzunhasanoglu said the association remained committed to keeping the tradition alive, while the festival brought participants together through cultural demonstrations and traditional dances.
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