Sille

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 The name Sille
2 Turkish village
3 Sille dances
4 External links

[edit] The name Sille

The name Sille [pronounced Si-le] is a girls name, mainly used in Scandinavia. The name originates from Cecilie, a variant of Cecilia. Cecilia is a female version of the Roman name Caecilius. The name may root in a Latin word meaning blind

[edit] Turkish village

Sille is a small Turkish village, near the town of Konya.

Sille (it is pronounced like 'silly') was one of the few villages where the Cappadocian Greek language was spoken until 1922. It was inhabited by Greeks who had been living there in peaceful coexistence with the nearby Turks of Konya, for over 800 years.

The reason for this peaceful coexistence was Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, who was the witness of a miracle that happened at the nearby Orthodox Christian monastery of Saint Chariton. In the Turkish language the monastery is now called AkMonastir and is translated as, "White Monastery". Jalal al-Din Rumi constructed a small mosque inside the Saint Chariton monastery; he asked the Turks not to hurt the Greeks of the village, and assigned to the Greek villagers the task of cleaning his own tomb. The Turks respected Mevlana's commandment. Several firmans from the Sultan were send to Konya Turks, which reminded to them of their promise not to hurt the Sille villagers. The coexistence of Sille Greeks with the nearby Turks remained very peaceful, that is why the villagers managed to preserve for over eight centuries both their native Greek language and their Orthodox Christian religion.

In the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey (1923), Turkey and Greece decided to exchange population based on religion. After 1924, all Greek population left the village.

The monastery where the miracle took place, is noe mostly demolished ans since it is located in a military camp entrance is not allowed.

[edit] Sille dances

The (Greek) Sille dances are ceremonial, most of them are danced by two persons facing each-other. There is a dance, danced by women only, which reminds the nineteenth or twentieth century BC Phaistos cup that professor Doro Levi found at the cave of Eileithyia, which presents the figures of two women dancing around a snake Goddess or priestess (Kerenyi Eleusis, p. xix-xx). Another dance is danced by men only, facing each other and carrying short swords. Unfortunately it is unknown what those dancings represent, and the ex-inhabitants of Sille could not give more information about the meaning of the women dancings and the movement of their hands, neither explain the men's sword dance. There is also another dance which can be found also to other Cappadocian villages, where the dancers are carrying wooden spoons.