Devir

In the village of Hasanpaşa in Burdur, a traditional “shepherd competition” is held. In this long-standing event, the village’s shepherds, along with their flocks, enter the water and try to cross the puddle non-stop with their sheep following them. The shepherd who crosses the water with their flock the fastest wins the competition. For the past eight years, a shepherd named Takmaz has never lost the first place. Additionally, the tradition of dyeing the village’s sheep “red” is maintained. The shepherds collect red rocks from the surrounding area, crush them, and obtain powder dye. However, this natural resource is threatened by a nearby mining operation. No one can find the stones to extract dye for the following year. Shepherd Ali, wanting to help everyone, brings red powder dye from the city and distributes it to the shepherds, allowing them to dye their sheep. However, when Ali also fails to place in the competition that year, he gives up on everything and leaves shepherding to work as a driver at the newly opened mine.