Mesir Paste Festival Turkey

The Mesir Macunu Festival, held annually in Manisa from 21 to 24 March, is a vibrant cultural event that marks the arrival of spring and coincides with the Newroz season. With a history spanning nearly 400 years, it is rooted in a healing legend from the 16th-century Ottoman Empire. According to local lore, Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, fell gravely ill during her time in Manisa. In response, the chief physician of the Sultan Mosque’s madrasa, Merkez Efendi, prepared a therapeutic paste using a mix of 41 herbs and spices. Hafsa Sultan recovered, and in gratitude, she requested that the curative paste be distributed to the public each year during the spring festival season.Thus began the Mesir tradition, which has since evolved into an expansive community celebration. In 2012, the festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its role in preserving traditional medicinal knowledge, culinary arts, and communal ritual.