Daily Life In The Ottoman Empire (33 page)

If the delivery moved along without any complications and
if the mother was well enough to receive guests, a reception was organized
following the birth. Female relatives and friends were invited to visit the mother
and the baby. Every guest arrived knowing that, according to the prevailing
custom, she could not admire the baby or praise his/her beauty and vigor, as
this could invoke the evil eye and undermine the fragile health of the newborn.
In fact, the guests tried to ignore the baby, who lay on a cushion of
embroidered satin, or called him/her “an ugly thing,” although they often
brought charms, cookies, and candies, as well as gold and silver pieces for the
infant.

During the reception, the attention of the guests was
focused primarily on the mother. Coffee, sherbets, and sweetmeats were served,
while women played a variety of musical instruments and sang happy songs. When
the reception ended and the guests departed, the midwife “fumigated the room
against an evil eye they might have brought in by throwing into the brazier a
clove for each guest,” and if “one of the cloves exploded, that meant the evil
eye was indeed present.” At times, to exorcise the house, the midwife threw
into the brazier “a strand of the mother’s hair and a piece of the child’s (if
it had any) and, if it could be secured, a scrap of the clothing of the person
suspected.” While these were burning, she prayed and recited incantations.

The mother rested for nearly a week. During this period,
she could not drink water but only sherbets. At the end of the seventh day, the
family read to the child the
Mevlüd,
or the poem celebrating the birth
of the prophet Muhammad. The mother’s bed was removed, and the baby’s maternal
grandmother delivered a wooden cradle. A urinal was also provided, “which
consisted of a tube that led from between the baby’s legs to a receptacle.” Now,
the life of a normal infant began with the mother gently singing lullabies.
Attendants and servants (if the woman was from a wealthy family) burned incense
day and night to ward off the evil eye.

As late as the second half of the 19th century, Turks
believed that a woman who had given birth to a child was “dangerously exposed”
to evil spirits for 40 days, and it was, therefore, “not safe for her to be
left alone for a moment.” If the woman “was poor and had no servants a neighbor
would come in to stay in her room and would leave a broom behind the door if
called out in an emergency;” the broom kept the evil spirits away. To ensure
the health of the mother and protect her from dangerous spirits, a copy of the
Quran was placed on her pillow. Additionally, she wore a red ribbon on her
hair, and every evening, incense was “burned beside her to keep the evil ones
at a distance.” After 40 days, during which she had been watched over by a
midwife, female relatives, and friends, as well as servants and attendants, the
woman left her home for a public bathhouse. On her walk to the bathhouse, the
new mother was accompanied by her own mother, female relatives, numerous
friends, and the midwife, who carried the baby in her arms. Once at the
bathhouse, the mother was washed and bathed. When she had finished the mother’s
bath, the midwife began to work on the child. Then she soaped and rinsed the
baby.

During various intervals gypsies danced, and sweetmeats,
sherbets, and coffee were served. At times, the celebrations and festivities at
the bathhouse took up an entire day. As the members of the ruling class built
homes, which included private bathhouses, the women of the upper classes
invited their relatives and friends to their home to celebrate the 40th-day
bath.

ROYAL BIRTHS

At the imperial palace, the ceremonies surrounding the
birth of a prince or a princess followed many of the same customs and
ceremonies that were organized among the ordinary subjects of the sultan. The
women of the royal family had their own trusted midwives who were called in
when a pregnant wife of the sultan went into labor. As with the women outside
the palace, the mother was seated on a couch that, unlike the couch of lower
classes, “was draped in red satin embroidered in rubies, emeralds, and pearls.”

Three cradles were presented to the mother and her newly
born child as gifts. The first came from the mother of the sultan, the second
from the grand vizier, and the third was presented by the chamberlain of the
imperial treasury. A procession delivered each cradle to the royal harem. With
each cradle, the sender attached numerous gifts. For example, the cradle sent by
the mother of the sultan was accompanied by “a handsome quilt and an
embroidered coverlet,” while the cradle presented by the grand vizier carried jewels
and, “if the child was a boy,” “an aigrette.” The cradles and the gifts were
presented to the
ağa
of the house of felicity who presented them to
the sultan before carrying them into the imperial harem. The men who carried
the cradles and gifts in each procession received robes of honor, and even
gifts if they were deemed to be appropriate.

The day the child was born, an imperial notice was issued
for the public to celebrate the arrival of a new member of the house of Osman.
The next day, the grand vizier and other high dignitaries, such as the
şeyhülislam
and the chief of scribes, arrived at the imperial palace to congratulate
the sultan. They were all rewarded with robes of honor by their royal master.
Meanwhile, the women of the royal palace and the wives of high government
officials were invited to the harem. The first group lived in the palace and
had no need for transportation. The second group of invitees, who did not
reside in the imperial harem, assembled at the home of the grand vizier and
from there were taken to the palace by horse-drawn carriages. Once in the
harem, the women greeted the lady who had given birth to a new member of the
royal family and kissed the coverlet on her bed. They also presented her and
the baby, who was held by a wet nurse, with gifts. Sumptuous meals, including
sweetmeats and coffee, were served, while musicians played and singers
performed to entertain the guests, who sometimes stayed at the harem for
several days.

CHILD REARING

A distinguishing trait of the Ottoman popular culture was
strong paternal affection and love for children. As one European visitor
observed, nothing could be more beautiful than the tenderness of a Turkish
father; he hailed “every demonstration of dawning intellect, every proof of
infant affection, with a delight that must be witnessed to be thoroughly
understood.” The father anticipated “every want,” he gratified “every wish,”
and he sacrificed “his own personal comfort to ensure that of his child.”

There were many different child-rearing traditions across
the Ottoman Empire. After wrapping and swaddling the newborn, and without
allowing it to drink the mother’s milk, the Abkhazians sent their children to
foster mothers, and their parents could not visit them until they were 10 or 15
years old. They believed that if the child suffered homelessness he would
become a man. Turkish women, however, generally suckled their own infants and
refused to hand them over to a wet nurse; they believed that the attention, care,
and love of the child’s own mother was the best nourishment for an infant.
Children were not merely brought up by their parents. They were the joint
responsibility of both sides of the family. Children spent as much time with
their grandmothers, aunts, and cousins as with their mothers. Women exchanged
babysitting responsibilities with their mothers and sisters, as well as with
their in-laws.

Among the Ottomans, children, and particularly male
offspring, were greatly prized. The preservation and survival of the family
required its reproduction; any family that did not reproduce disappeared and
vanished. Among peasant farmers, economic productivity increased when more
hands were available, particularly during the harvest season. Children also
were needed to provide security and care for their parents when they grew old.
In the absence of children, a family would come to the brink of extinction if
its sole male member, the husband, were recruited by the army and taken away to
a far-away war. A child, and particularly a son, could guard the land and
ensure its cultivation in the absence of his father. Additional sons were even
better because if one son was taken to a military campaign, his brother or
brothers could assume responsibility for his family and his land. Indeed, the
idea of a unified family staying together, and protecting and defending its
collective interests, was central to Ottoman society and culture. In the rural
communities of the empire, children began to work very young and generally developed
“into hardy and handsome men and women.”

A central feature of Ottoman family culture was the
reverence displayed by children toward their parents. Special love and
adoration was reserved for the mother of the family. Husbands and wives could
advise and reprimand, but the mother was “an oracle”; she was “consulted,
confided in, listened to with respect and deference, honored to her latest
hour, and remembered with affection and regret beyond the grave.”

Among both rich and poor, children were taught to show the
utmost respect for parents. When a young boy entered the presence of his
parents and other older members of the family, he stood still and, after making
proper salutations, proceeded to kiss their hands. He sat down only after he
had received permission from his father. When a family decided to leave, the
father stood up first, then the mother, and only lastly the children, who
allowed their parents to leave first before they followed. Often, the children
kissed the hem of their mother’s gown and their father’s robe. This sensitivity
and politeness, remarked upon by numerous Western observers, continued in the
relationship between a student and his teacher when he entered school. Pupils
regarded their teachers as superior beings, almost as second fathers, who
deserved unwavering respect and obedience. Though highly cultured and extremely
polite, from the humblest to the most powerful, men and women maintained a
strong sense of dignity.

CIRCUMCISION

One of the most important dates in the life of a young
Muslim boy was the day he was circumcised. One European observer who lived in
Istanbul at the beginning of the 17th century described the Muslim circumcision
as a ceremony of the greatest significance, one which was always held with pomp
and solemnity among the Ottomans.

The age of a boy at circumcision varied considerably.
Regardless of the boy’s age, families allowed a lock of hair to grow on the
crown of the boy’s head until the very day of circumcision. The hair hanging
down the middle of the boy’s back, over his uppermost jacket, was displayed in
such a way as to make it visible to everyone. It served as a sign that the boy
had not been circumcised and therefore could not pray with the congregation at
a mosque.

On the day of circumcision, a large contingent of male
relatives and family friends, on foot or horseback, accompanied the boy to a
mosque where he was catechized by an imam, who asked him questions on his
faith: Was he a Muslim? Did he believe in Muhammad the prophet of God? Was he
willing to defend Islam? And so on. The boy then swore to defend the “true
faith,” be a friend of Islam and Muslims, and an enemy to the foes and enemies
of religion. He then returned home to be circumcised by a local barber.

While the boy was catechized in the mosque, his home was
turned upside down as the family prepared a feast to follow the circumcision
ceremony. They were obliged by custom and tradition to dispense unbounded
hospitality in celebration of their son’s coming-of-age. Parents kept an open
house and entertained not only neighbors and relatives but also nearby
residents. Festivities could last anywhere from one to three days, depending on
the social status and the financial means of the family. Refreshments and
sweetmeats were served and gifts were offered. Magicians and dancers performed,
theatrical productions, such as the popular Karagöz, amused and entertained the
head of the household and his guests at the
selamlik
and the women at
the harem.

In sharp contrast to the general populace, who celebrated
the event for a few days, the festivities surrounding the circumcision of the
male members of the Ottoman royal family could last as long as several weeks.
Royal circumcisions were always followed by tournaments and entertainments by a
host of singers, musicians, theater groups, clowns, fire-eaters, dancers, and
artists of all kinds. Clothing, gold coins, underwear, and toys were given as
gifts. The significance of these royal circumcisions is best demonstrated by
the large number of miniature paintings that depict the circumcision of the
sons of various sultans, as well as
surnames
(imperial festival books)
that recorded the important events of a sultan’s reign.

CLOTHING, VEILING, AND SEGREGATION

No other subject aroused more controversy and discussion
among Western visitors to the Ottoman Empire than the status of women,
particularly the concept of the harem and the custom of veiling. European
diplomats and businessmen lamented the miserable and oppressive confinement of
Ottoman women, despite having never visited a harem. The few European ladies
who were invited to a Turkish harem did not find the lives of Ottoman women
confined and praised their Muslim counterparts for their beauty, power, and
sophistication.