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The seasonal highland migration in Türkiye's eastern Black Sea region has begun with colorful scenes in Trabzon's Tonya district, where cattle breeders moved their decorated animals to summer pastures accompanied by music and horon, a traditional Black Sea folk dance.
In the region, the migration to the yayla, a seasonal highland pasture used during the warmer months, starts with small livestock in May and continues with cattle in early summer. This time, the route to Cagman Yayla, located at an altitude of about 1,800 meters, turned into a moving celebration.
Setting out from Kalincam neighborhood at first light, breeder Eray Cetin and his family walked toward the highland with 12 cattle decorated with colorful headpieces made from ropes and beads prepared by local women.
The group moved through a route surrounded by different shades of green, while Black Sea music and horon added a festive rhythm to the journey.
At points along the way, the migration turned into a shared cultural moment as the group danced before continuing toward the highland.
After walking about 19 kilometers (11.8 miles), Cetin and his herd reached Cagman Yayla in around two hours.
Cetin, 26, said his family makes the same journey every year to take the animals to more productive pastures during the summer months. He said they were trying to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors.
The family will spend about four months in the highland, where they will graze their animals and prepare for winter by making yogurt, cheese and butter from the milk.
Cetin said he works in the yayla with his sister, brother and nieces and nephews, adding that daily life there mostly revolves around the animals. He noted that there were not many activities apart from looking after the herd and working in the meadows when needed.
Describing what the highland means to him, Cetin said: "If they asked me to fit the yayla into one sentence, I would say 'priceless peace.'"
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