New Year in Turkey - traditions
New Year in Turkey - traditions
New Year is celebrated twice in Turkey. According to the Gregorian calendar, the year begins on January 1. This celebration is popular in large cities in the southwest of the country and is celebrated in the style of European traditions. According to ancient Turkic custom, the New Year is celebrated on March 21, the day of the vernal equinox, and is called Navruz.
In Turkey, too, many people decorate their homes for the New Year. However, this holiday is not originally Turkish, so it is celebrated widely and en masse, mainly in big cities, Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir. The New Year is also celebrated in cities where many visitors live, for example, in Alanya.
But in remote villages, New Year is not considered a big holiday at all. They may not celebrate it at all. Or have a quiet family dinner in the evening and go to bed as usual.
Is December 31st a normal day in Turkey?
In Turkey, celebrating the New Year on January 1 is not prohibited, but Muslims believe that the use of Christmas symbols on the New Year indicates “religious and cultural degradation.”
But still, the main part of the New Year's celebrations is concentrated in Istanbul. The fact is that in this city a significant part of the population are Christians who love to celebrate the European New Year. And it is here that the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople is located.
In Istanbul, those celebrating the New Year stroll in the European part of the Old City, in Taksim Square and in the ancient Pera quarter. Traditional outdoor concerts take place everywhere.
In the Asian part of Istanbul, the noisiest and most crowded place on New Year's Eve is considered to be the Kadikoy district, known as the place of secret meetings of the first Christians.
Tradition that all Turks support on New Year's Day
If the New Year with a festive dinner and a decorated Christmas tree is not celebrated throughout Turkey, then almost everyone participates in the New Year's Milli Piyango lottery. Everyone buys several tickets, hoping that he will win the main prize. It should be noted that the main prize is a fairly large amount, which can reach 15-20 million Turkish liras. So watching the New Year's Milli Piyango lottery draw in Turkey brings people together, on this day everyone is looking forward to their happy hour and the opportunity to become a millionaire.
New Year's trip to Turkey
A popular destination for New Year's tours is imperial Istanbul. A tour to the unofficial capital of Turkey during the New Year holidays lasting from 2 to 7 nights is proposed to be supplemented with a New Year's dinner in a restaurant or on a boat cruising along the Bosphorus. The best way to admire the festive fireworks is from one of the many embankments. The first days of the new year can be filled with educational excursions or just a relaxed walk through the streets of the ancient city.
The weather in December cools the Mediterranean Sea to +19°C. The exception is indoor/heated hotel pools. You can count on the beaches; the sun can heat up to +20°C (when it is not hampered by clouds that are frequent in winter).
On the last day of the year, almost every Turkish hotel organizes a festive banquet and show program for guests. Elite 5* hotels invite Russian and foreign pop stars to perform. Stuffed turkey with oriental sauces, bottles of champagne, salads and national Turkish dishes appear on the festive table.
Tourists can meet the moment of transition from December 31 to January 1 on the Galata Bridge with fireworks or book a table in one of the restaurants (in the Sultanahmet area). By the way, January 1 is a non-working day.
Ski resort
Ski resorts in Turkey (the only ones in the world whose hotels provide guests with all-inclusive meals) offer high-quality service and relaxed skiing on simple slopes. And the prices are more than reasonable compared to Europe.
- Beautiful Uludag, hospitable Kartalkaya and fashionable Sarykamysh offer many kilometers of magnificent trails of varying degrees of difficulty, an opportunity to learn how to snowboard and try your hand at free riding.
- Sarykamysh is more suitable for a family holiday if you are celebrating the New Year with children. Uludag is considered one of the most fashionable resorts in Turkey and will appeal to all connoisseurs of VIP service.
- Kartalkaya is characterized by stable weather conditions and a large number of additional entertainment - from bowling to a modern cinema.
Excursions
A wide selection of excursions, many of which faded into the background in the summer in favor of the sea or due to extreme heat. For example, the Cappadocian valleys: not everyone is able to wander through them under the scorching June sun, but in winter you can enjoy the unique natural landscape at your own leisure, without rushing. Thermal springs and thalasso; for them, both in summer and winter, you should go to Pamukkale, Kangal and Yalova.
New articles:
How to rent an apartment in Turkey for a year?
Türkiye. Purchasing real estate: advice for beginners
