2007 was announced as the “Year of Rumi” by UNESCO to recognize this greatly known and beloved mystical poet’s 800^th birthday. On October 23^rd 2007, we celebrated the commemoration of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s 800^th birthday with a Whirling Dervishes Ritual performance at Carnegie Music Hall in Pitsburgh. Dr. Paul Parker, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Theology and Religion at Elmhurst College (Chicago, IL), was our keynote speaker at this event.

Today, more than seven centuries later, Rumi’s works continue to inspire, enlighten, and illume countless souls around the world, transcending all cultural and religious lines.

This ritual dance, called Sema, is among the most exquisite ceremonies of spirituality. The whirling of the dervishes is an act of love and a drama of faith. The Sema is a precise choreography, a meditation in motion in which the dervishes are accompanied by beautiful, authentic Sufi music. The music contains some of the most core elements of Eastern classical music and serves as an accompaniment for Rumi’s poetry.

The blog for this event can be reached at here.

Some pictures from the Whirling Dervishes can be found at the photo gallery.