In Istanbul, when December arrives, you might observe a sudden change in the streets. Decorations hung up on the poles in the shape of stars or Christmas trees, statues, and other structures covered in colorful lights, and reindeer shaped crowns or Santa Claus’ hats in shop windows. The streets feel as if the city is full with Christmas spirit… until you see the sign ‘Hoşgeldin Yeni Yıl’ (literally translated as ‘Welcome New Year’) or its variants ‘Hoşgeldin 2019′ (‘Welcome 2019’) or ‘Yeni Yılınız Kutlu Olsun!’ (‘Happy New Year!’). You’ll quickly notice there’s little to no mention of Christmas, with all the focus and energy going to New Year’s in Turkey.
In Turkish culture, it’s not Christmas, but the arrival of a new year that is celebrated. Celebrating on New Year’s Eve is all about leaving the past year and looking ahead to the approaching year full of wishes and joy. Celebrating New Year’s is still a debated concept in Turkey, but here I have decided to write about what my personal experiences with the holiday in Istanbul.
At home, a Christmas tree (however, in Turkish this is called a yılbaşı ağacı or New Year’s tree) is placed in the living room, with presents waiting for each member of the family. In schools, there are Secret Santa games to buy presents for a classmate and at workplaces for colleagues.
Traditionally, one celebrates New Year’s with their family, relatives, and some neighbors, usually over delicious meals including turkey or chicken. When I was younger, I remember playing lades with my sister, a game where two people pull the wishbone apart and negotiate about what they want if they win. Winning is not about getting the bigger piece in the wishbone, but in making sure that the other person forgets to say “aklımda” (I remember) when they grab an object given by you. When one forgets to say that, the other yells “Lades!” and the loser buys the present negotiated beforehand. In addition, there are also other games to play during New Year’s Eve, the most well-known one being tombala, the Turkish version of bingo. The games are accompanied by some television programs, interestingly starting with Victoria Secret’s Fashion Show, which almost always becomes popular on New Year’s Eve. After the fashion show, families mostly watch for the piyango (lottery) winners, as many families usually have at least one lottery ticket that they check for. At the end of the night, most dreams to become an instant millionaire end up being wishful thinking, and many families end up having tickets that have won the amorti prize – which only covers the cost of the lottery ticket.
The classic countdown of the last ten seconds is my favorite part in celebrating on New Year’s Eve. The feeling that I get by imagining millions of people all around the world counting down with me, waiting for new adventures and new experiences with all the joy and surprises is what makes me feel most human.
Istanbul is always described as where East meets West, and I believe that even the way that Istanbulites celebrate New Year’s is an example of that. Eating turkey, while having a Christmas tree nearby with gifts underneath, while counting down for a new happy year feels like a mixture of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s all blended together for me. This also explains one common mistake that Turks have while learning English, for sometimes you may see posts saying “Merry Christmas!” around the 31st of December. Don’t feel confused if you see it on a post of a Turkish friend of yours, just know that Christmas and New Year’s are blended events here.
What do you do to celebrate Christmas or New Year’s Eve? Comment below and let us know!
This post was originally published in December of 2017. It was updated for relevance on December of 2018.
As one of the biggest moslem country in the world, I found the tradition in here is a bit awkward.
Most of them said, they dont celebrate christmas, but the way they celebrate new year is exactly the same like christian people would celebrate their christmas. Like you said there will be christmas tree with all the decoration as well as secret santa games (what could be more christmas than those).
And as long as I know in Indonesia (one of the biggest moslem country), moslem people in there dont celebrate new year like in here, as well as other moslem people in other country. Maybe that what make turkey “unique”, although i thought its a little bit confusing.