sêva mêxekrêj
love and care is intentional
کاکە وانابێ
بەخودای وانابێ
سێو بە بێ مێخەک
بۆ دیاری نابێ! - ماملێ ١٩٣٨
brother, it won’t do
without care, it won’t do
an apple without cloves
is no gift at all!
- song by Mamlê 1938
sêva mêxekrêj is an apple pierced with cloves, a Kurdish tradition used to express love, ask for forgiveness, or offer reconciliation. it’s given from one person to another as a gesture of care and responsibility, especially when words fall short. each clove is pressed into the apple’s skin by hand, making the act both intentional and intimate.
sêva mêxekrêj is made by pressing each clove into the apple’s surface, one by one, with patience and care. once fully covered, the apple can last for over a decade, releasing a steady, purifying scent over time.
sêva mêxekrêj invites us to pay attention to the labor of care, to what surrounds us, and to the ways we practice reconciliation through action, not abstraction.
its scent lingers as a reminder of our collective capacity to create, sustain, and pass on love rooted in responsibility.
i took these film photos at a public workshop i hosted in ridgewood, brooklyn on january 19, 2025. around 45 people showed up and made their sêva mêxekrêj together. they laughed, dealt with sticky clove-covered fingers, and, most importantly, practiced patience together. donations from the event went to heyva sor a kurdistanê.
in a time where care is commodified, coming together to make sêva mêxekrêj is a return to slowness, to shared labor, to being present with one another.
Kurdish culture has resisted layers of colonial erasure by empires and nation-states across borders. this erasure is ongoing, through cultural bans, forced assimilation, displacement, and targeted repression. sêva mêxekrêj is a way to asserting our presence on our own terms.
if you want to try making sêva mêxekrêj, here is what to do
grab a red apple, medium size is ideal.
begin at the top indent and work outward in circles.
with each clove, think of a wish for yourself, someone else, something you want to see happen, or anything meaningful to you.
gently press cloves into the apple. if it’s hard, use a toothpick to make small holes first.
your fingers might get tired or sticky. take a break, stretch your hands, or wash and dry them as needed.
complete piercing the entire apple with cloves within 24 hours to prevent it from rotting.
aftercare
place your apple clove in a dry, cool spot. it will take about 20 days to harden completely.
keep it away from water. once dry, it will last over 100 years!
place the dried apple above steaming water to let the vapor spread its calming aroma.
once finished, your sêva mêxekrêj can be:
a gift for valentine’s day or someone you care about,
a heartfelt gesture for yourself,
a way to show up in moments of reconciliation,
or a legacy to pass down to future generations.
with care,
shee.lan