Then came a man with a blond ponytail, a guy with a backward baseball cap, women in flowing dresses — all whirling. The event was organized to ensure that the whirling would continue nonstop for seven days and nights, with no fewer than two people spinning at any given time. During the days, there were spiritual talks under a willow tree and whirling workshops for beginners. The band’s founder, the Sufi scholar and musicologist Rahmi Oruc Guvenc, organized sema gatherings lasting as long as 99 and 114 days. The post Whirling for 7 Days and Nights, in Search of Ecstasy appeared first on New York Times.