As promised, dear flowers, I'll tell you a little about my travel experience in Istanbul, in particular, I'll tell you about the fifteenth edition of the Tulip Festival! 🌷
Let's start right away with some curiosities about tulips:
Did you know that tulips are one of the symbols of the city?
The tulip is indeed the national floral symbol of Türkiye!
THE Lale, tulips in Turkish, arrived in Europe from Kazakhstan to Holland passing through the Ottoman Empire, in fact we find them in various works of art created during this period.
The Turkish people even have an ancient legend that says happiness is hidden at the bottom of a tulip bud. It's said that you can only fall in love with a tulip, like a woman, once and when you see it for the first time. 💘
Turks are great romantics and do you believe in love at first sight, dear Flowers?
Another legend is about Shirin in love with the beautiful Ferhad, a love reciprocated but destined to be broken, since Shirin was forced to leave in search of fortune and had to leave her beloved. One day, while the girl was wandering in search of her love, she fell on some very sharp stones and cried with the knowledge that she would die without seeing Shirin again.
Ferhad's tears thus mixed with blood and, falling drop by drop to the ground, transformed into beautiful red tulips, and this is why the red tulip is considered the true flower of unconditional love. ❤️
But let's get back to us, every year in spring in Istanbul theInternational Istanbul Tulip Festival
During the winter they are planted approximately 12 million of tulip bulbs, belonging to almost 200 different varieties, different in shape and color.
I had the pleasure of enjoying this colourful event, despite the somewhat gloomy days, in Emirgan Park: the epicenter of the event, which in addition to hosting the Tulip Museum, is one of the largest public parks in Istanbul, located on the European coast of the Bosphorus and offers a stunning panoramic view of great charm.
I actually expected to see tulips scattered throughout the city, but due to Covid and the slightly unpredictable temperatures, this year's tulips were mostly concentrated in Emirgan Park. So, due to circumstances beyond my control, it was a somewhat subdued edition, but it still filled my eyes!
As you may have understood by now, the Tulip Festival It is therefore a tribute to the national floral symbol, in addition to the flowers, the undisputed protagonists of this event, among kiosks and colorful flowerbeds there are also various demonstrations, such as:
- artisan skills
- musical performances
- themed workshops and lessons
- Ebru technique courses with local artists
- photographic and painting exhibitions
In addition, it is possible to purchase bulbs of numerous varieties of tulips, Of course I gave in to Dear Flowers and now I can't wait to see the floral memory of my trip to Istanbul grow in my garden!
I'll let you in on a secret: although I don't like expressing a favorite flower, because I love them all, if I really had to choose a favorite, it would be the tulip!
Imagine, it's a flower that continues to grow even when cut, even when potted it follows the light and seeks it out, a somewhat rebellious flower that I adore!
Of course all the tulips The plants planted for the Festival are of Turkish origin, mostly from small towns in the Istanbul province. In this way, the Istanbul Municipality, which organizes the event, offers financial support to local floristry.
What do you think, dear flowers? Have I made you want to attend the next Tulip Festival?
I will definitely go back and in the meantime I'm ready for the next adventure ☺️🌻
