Celebration of Rumi's Wedding night (Shebi Arus)

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Mevlevi Order of America Bay Area

Mevlevi Order of America (MOA) in Bay Area, also known as the Whirling Dervishes. We are honoring Suleyman Hayati Dede, Sheikh of Konya, who was inspired to bring the Mevlevi traditions to the west, where his son and successor, Makam Postneshin Jelaleddin Loras continued his work. The Mevlevi traditions come to us in an unbroken chain from Sufi mystic poet Hz. Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, who lived in 13th century Turkey, then the Seljuk Empire. He is also widely known today as a best-selling poet, inspiring many with his overflowing devotion to and love of God. The Mevlevi are mystics, believing that one’s path is to God. Mysticism is concerned with developing one’s abilities and capacity through emotional, intellectual, and physical practices. We greatly respect all genuine traditions of belief and faith which seek to accept the responsibility of humanity to care for each other and our world. We firmly reject the actions of those who pervert the words of God to justify violence for political ends. We are sincere seekers on a perennially modern, and centuries old path into the Divine Mystery. We offer cultural programs, open workshops, and public presentations in the spirit of inclusion, equality and love. Over three hundred Semazen (one who turns) have been trained to participate in the traditional Sema ceremony, and thousands have witnessed Sema and participated in zikr events sponsored by Mevlevi Order of America. The MOA presented its first public traditional Sema Ceremony in 1982 at the College of Marin in California. Since then, every year, MOA has presented at least one Sema and many gatherings and workshops across the U.S. The Mevlevi Order of America is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization.