The great poet and religious leader Mevlana Celaleddin rumi was born in 1207 in what is now Afghanistan. Later, his family fled the Mongolian invasion and settled in Konya. Mevlana means “our guide” or “our master”, while Celaleddin means “majesty of religion” in Arabic. Mevlana wrote most of his poetry in Persian, but also penned some verses in Turkish, Arabic and even Greek. His life took an unexpected turn when he met Şemseddin Tabrizi, who became his spiritual guide and companion. Şems vanished unexpectedly, believed murdered by Rumi’s disciples who could not stand his influence over the Sufi master.
After Şems disappearance, Mevlana retreated further into the world of Sufism and began writing his 25,000-verse masterpiece, the Mesnevi. For him, death was merely reunion with God and so a cause for celebration. Thus, 17 December, the date of his death (or his “nuptial night”, as it is referred to) is celebrated with semas (ceremonies) at which Mevlevi dervished perform their famous whirling dance. With their wide white skirts and conical headdresses symbolizing the ego’s shroud and tomb respectively, the dervished slowly revolve, passing divine energy from the Creator to his creations.
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