Laz Society, Trabzon, Rize, Artvin 1981,2010,2016

I am walking in the clouds and feeling the water on my skin. Everyplace is green and full of little waterfalls. You can see the melting of the snows and the ice and they create the little streams. We are driving over the mountains to see the fighting place of the bulls. My friend is telling me the story of the bullfights in the car. "This is the meeting and peace day of the bulls before their voyage over the mountains. During the summer time they live over the high mountains which are 3000 metres from the sea level. Males fight and fall down from the cliffs and kill themselves. Before this voyage we bring them together and meet themselves. Some of them accept the others' leadership without any fight some of them fight each other. At the end of this meeting and fight day each bull knows it's situation in the group. They live in peace without fight over the mountains during the summer season". This event was the second day of the festival. First day people and various folk dancing groups danced their own dance called "Horon" hand in hand with traditional "Tulum" music over the mountains. "Tulum" is the traditional musical instrument of Camlihemsin people. It is made of goat skin and covered with colored clothes and ornaments. It has two thin pipes and eachone has five holes on them. The second day was the meeting day of the bulls. They fought during the day at several categories and chose their new leader. The third day I was the quest of a family who harvest their tea plant.

Ayder plateau is natural wonder over the mountains of northern of Turkey. On 2010, the fifth of the winter festival was held. People do not need an expensive ski teams for skiing. They easily ski over the truck tires or nylon covers on the snow. This does not prevent the excitement although some accidents. People danced during two days their own dance called "Horon" hand in hand with traditional "Tulum" music over the mountains on the snow and ice.

I went to Velikoy for traditional snow wrestling in 2016. Velikoy is a place where traditional snow wrestling was held today, belongs to the city of Artvin city in northeastern Turkey in the Caucasus region. In the village, the elderly population lives in the winter months and the young population is settled in big cities due to economic reasons. They visit their parents only in summer or important cultural activities. Regular inhabitants of the village are engaged in cattle breeding. In the past, snow wrestles were led by village imam after the Friday prayer and the tradition continues today. As a cultural event common to the locals of the region, these wrestles resulted in a cultural exchange with Caucasian countries. Other countries in the Caucuses participated in the wrestles and locals from Savsat also traveled there to wrestle. The most beautiful aspect of this culture is its sustainability. Wrestlers fighting in lighter weights are their greatest hope for the future.

The first two photographs are photographs of Trabzon's Akcaabat district in 1981. These images are almost impossible to see today. Tobacco agriculture is now prohibited.