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A Nasreddin Hoca Tale

                               Fur Coat 

One day the Hodja was invited to a feast in an important and wealthy family's home. When he arrived, neither the hosts, nor the other guests paid any attention to him. They made him sit at one corner of the table, they didn't ask his opinion on any of the discussed matters, and worst of all, they forgot to pass him the food trays. Nasreddin Hodja felt left out. Nobody was showing any due respect or offering him food. The servants were passing him by and forgetting to fill his goblet.

A half hour later, the Hodja had enough of being ignored and he quietly slipped out of the house. He went back to his home and changed his clothes. He wore the best and the newest garments he owned. Then, he borrowed a very nice coat with real fur trims from one of his better-off neighbours. With this new attire, he headed back to the house where the banquet was being held.

This time around, everyone noticed the Hodja. The hosts and the servants welcomed him and the other guests treated him with respect. They gave him the best spot at the table and offered him food and drinks. Nasreddin Hodja was very pleased with this new reception. He started to eat with relish and participate in the conversation.

However, the guests and the hosts soon noticed that, every now and then, the Hodja was dipping the hem of his coat into his plate and muttering `eat my fur coat, do eat, you eat too.' Everyone was curious.

`Hodja Effendi,' the host finally inquired, `why are you dipping your coat into the food and what is it that you are murmuring?' Nasreddin Hodja was waiting for this opportunity.

`I am feeding my coat,' he was glad to explain, `I am telling it to enjoy the food. After all, it is thanks to its fur trims that I am being offered all these delicious treats.'

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                    NASREDDIN HOCA

Nasreddin Hodja (Hoca) is a 13th century Turkish personage who is believed to have lived in Aksehir in south-central Turkey. About 400 handwritten manuscripts that narrate anecdotes demonstrating his quick wit and wisdom have survived. Hodja was clearly a beloved character whose advise and opinion the townspeople solicited and respected. They also loved to test his wit by playing mischievous games on him or by asking him absurd questions. Hodja was often victim to the practical jokes of children and adults, who wanted to see how he would get himself out of trouble. But Nasreddin Hodja, to the delight of his fellow villagers, was never stumped to deliver a witty one-liner.

 

Hodja, so-called for his wisdom (in Turkish "hoca" means both teacher and religious leader, both of whom are supposed to be knowing men), was sometimes an imam, leading prayers and other religious ceremonies, and sometimes a kadi, resolving local disputes. But he was, first and foremost, a small farmer who had a few live stock and a small land to cultivate. He is hard-working and honest, however, he is not immune to little cheatings every now and then. He is often poor. He and his family live very modestly, and from time to time they even suffer from abject poverty where there is no food or fire to keep them warm. Nasreddin Hodja is willing to do any job to support his family. Tough times make him sarcastic, but he maintains his sense of humour and optimism.

 

In some stories Hodja acts utterly foolish. It is believed that he too, in his turn, wanted to play games on others. He liked to astonish his townspeople and deliver a good message in the form of idiocy. Sometimes for his own benefit, or to save face, he pretended to be stupid. At times, he was tempted to resort to beguiling for small favours or an extra meal. We see in the stories that when it comes to poverty, the villagers are all on the same boat, and it is a daily quest to trick one another into offering a meal or a treat.

 

Hodja is also known and cherished in other cultures. In Greece, Albania, many Arab countries, Iran, Serbia, Croatia, China, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Armenia and Afghanistan, Nasreddin Hodja continues to entertain the children and the adults.

 

Nasreddin Hodja, his life and times, and his character can be debated to no end. However, I believe that this little summary is enough to get us started with his tales. We can't tell anything more about Nasreddin Hodja than he tells us about himself in the stories attributed to him.

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