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Thrace by Fatih Pinar
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria (Northern Thrace), northeastern Greece (Western Thrace) and European Turkey (Eastern Thrace).
The indigenous population of Thrace, called the Thracians, was a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the extinct Thracian language. Ancient Greek mythology provides them with a mythical ancestor named Thrax, son of the war-god Ares who was said to reside in Thrace. Thracians fell early under the cultural influence of the ancient Greeks, preserving until a much later time, however, their language and culture. It also appears from mythological accounts that the Thracians influenced Greek culture from a very early period, with some Thracians, such as Orpheus, even appearing as culture-bearers in some myths. But as non-Greek speakers, they were viewed by the Greeks as barbarians.
From their ancient times up to modern days Thracians lived under the control of the Greeks, Macedons, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Ottomans and then the modern states of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Today, in Turkey, instead of Rumelia, the general and historical name of “the lands of the Romans”, the word Trakya is used when referring to the part of Turkey which is in Europe (provinces of Edirne, Kirklareli, Tekirdag, and the western part of Istanbul Province). This region in Turkey is referred to as Eastern Thrace or Turkish Thrace.
The Thracians have always been very musical. The music of Thrace contains a written history that extends back to the antiquity, when Orpheus became a legendary musician. At the time the region was considered the musical center of all of Greece. During ancient times up until the Slavic invasion, Thracians were taught to dance at a very young age. Music and dance are still at the center of their lives. These natural born musicians learn to play their instruments at a very early age as spontaneous as they learn to speak. Thracian weddings last for three days, where there is constant drinking and dancing to the sounds of the gaida and the daouli.
