Who is nasreddin hodja

Often depicted in illustrations as a white-bearded imam with his head wrapped in a turban, wearing a frock and riding a donkey backwards, Nasreddin Hodja was, in fact, a real person. His first name, Nasr-ed Din, means "victory of faith" while his surname, Hodja, means "master" or "teacher" - and Nasreddin Hodja undoubtedly lived up to his name. A philosopher with a good sense of humor and the ability to convey symbolic messages through storytelling, his uncanny ability to highlight the social problems of his time by his use of humor was legendary.

Nasreddin Hodja often addressed the connection between wealth and social problems, attributing the habits of the wealthy to the problems faced by society. Nasreddin Hodja was not only a storyteller, often reenacting his stories through real live events.

His patience and sharp wit would often leave people in awe, albeit outraged at times. The International Nasreddin Hodja Festival, held every year from July , is attended by artists, poets, writers, musicians and filmgoers who keep the memory of Nasreddin Hodja alive.

Here are some of his witty stories. Well, this wouldn't do. He bided his chance and slipped out unnoticed. He returned, wearing his best robe and his fine fur coat. From the entrance on he was overwhelmed with compliments, given the best seat at the table and urged to partake of the choicest morsels.

Smiling, he began to dip the sleeve of his fur coat into the dishes, saying;. A few minutes ago, without my fur coat, I wasn't even noticed. Because of it, I am now being overwhelmed with attentions!. The Hodja was a poor man but not a miserly one. As a matter of fact, miserly people are never poor. Anyhow, one day the Hodja was going to visit the great Tamerlane.

On second thoughts he realized how unseemly it would look for him to go empty handed. No, it wouldn't do He got a goose beautifully roasted, placed it in a tray and started on his way to the palace.

After a while, the aroma of the roasted goose began to tell on him and, when he could bear it no longer, he broke one of it legs off and satisfied his desire. Tamerlane when offered the gift, at once noticed that one of the legs was missing and being lame in one leg himself, he thought this must have been done on purpose to remind him of his disability. He prayed more, but the mountain remained unmoved. Finally the Hodja got up from his knees and began walking toward the mountain.

If the mountain will not come to the Hodja, then the Hodja will go to the mountain. A beggar was given a piece of bread, but nothing to put on it. Hoping to get something to go with his bread, he went to a nearby inn and asked for a handout. The innkeeper turned him away with nothing, but the beggar sneaked into the kitchen where he saw a large pot of soup cooking over the fire.

He held his piece of bread over the steaming pot, hoping to thus capture a bit of flavor from the good-smelling vapor. Now Nasreddin Hodja was at that time serving as qadi, and he heard the innkeeper's complaint and the beggar's explanation. Thus saying, the Hodja drew two coins from his pocket, rang them together loudly, put them back into his pocket, and sent the beggar and the innkeeper each on his own way. Return to the table of contents. The Debt Nasreddin was strolling through the marketplace when a shopkeeper accosted him, berating the Hodja loudly for his failure to pay a debt.

That means that I owe you only five piasters. Are you not ashamed of yourself for accosting me so loudly in public for a debt of only five piasters? Nasreddin Hodja was standing in the marketplace when a stranger stepped up to him and slapped him in the face, but then said, "I beg your pardon. I thought that you were someone else. This explanation did not satisfy the Hodja, so he brought the stranger before the qadi and demanded compensation.

The Hodja soon perceived that the qadi and the defendant were friends. The latter admitted his guilt, and the judge pronounced the sentence: "The settlement for this offense is one piaster, to be paid to the plaintiff.

If you do not have a piaster with you, then you may bring it here to the plaintiff at your convenience. Hearing this sentence, the defendant went on his way. The Hodja waited for him to return with the piaster. And he waited. Some time later the Hodja said to the qadi, "Do I understand correctly that one piaster is sufficient payment for a slap? Hearing this answer, the Hodja slapped the judge in the face and said, "You may keep my piaster when the defendant returns with it," then walked away.

Nasreddin Hodja's first marriage was an arranged marriage, and in keeping with the custom of the time, he did not see his unveiled bride until the wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, she did not have an attractive face. The next day when the bride was making preparations to go to market, she asked her husband, as was the custom, "Shall I wear my burqa?

I do not wish to show my face to anyone against your wishes. The anecdotes about him focus particularly on love, satire, praise and gentle mockery. He preferred to oppose the stricter elements of Islamic law with laughter, even self-mockery, and a desire to avoid using harsh words. His words are a contradictory combination of the wise, ignorant, cunning, harmonious, insensitive, bashful, surprised, timorous and dashing.

One particular feature of anecdotes concerning him is his delight in perplexing others. These reflect the attitude of the people of Anatolia to particular situations, and are actually the products of their thoughts. Nasreddin Hoca therefore emerges as a focus of humorous stories that reflect the feelings of the people.

The true voices of the speakers appear, and Nasreddin Hoca appears before us with his own.