New Year's Eve in Turkey

NEW YEAR'S EVE IN TURKEY

New Year’s Eve is one of themost popular holidays in Turkey. The New Year’s Eve traditions in ourcountryinclude a familydinner, a nationallotterydrawingand a countdowntomidnight. New Year’s Eve falls on December 31 in theGregoriancalendar.

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO?

Manypeople in Turkeystartcelebrating New Year’s Eve with a largefamilydinner. The main course is traditionally a roastedturkey. Varietyshows on televisionbegin in lateafternoonandcontinueuntilearlymorning of thenextday. Manypeopleplaygameswhilewaitingfortheclocktostrikemidnight. State TV channelsannouncethewinningnumbers of a New Year’snationallotteryjustbeforemidnight. Manypeople in Turkeytryto buy a New Year’slotteryticketbecause it promises a largesum of moneytothewinner. Manypeoplealsocongratulateeachother andexchangesmallgifts at midnightbetween New Year’s Eve and New Year’sDay.

Hotels, restaurantsandnightclubsofferspecialentertainmentprograms on New Year’s Eve. Mostplacesrequireearlyreservations. Somepeoplegotocitycenterslate on December 31 towatchthetraditionalfireworks. New Year’s Eve endswith a countdowntoannouncethearrival of a newyear, andcelebrationscontinueuntilthemorning of January 1.

PUBLIC LIFE

New Year’s Eve is not an officialholiday. Manypeoplecelebrate New Year’s Eve in citycenters, sotrafficmay be intense in theevening of December 31.

BACKGROUND

December 31 becamethelastday of a calendaryear in Turkey in 1926 whenthiscountrystartedusingtheGregoriancalendar. TurkeyandtheOttomanEmpireused a solar-basedIslamiccalendar (Rumi takvim) priorto 1926. New Year’s Eve became a popular holiday in TurkeyaftertheTurkishparliamentmadeJanuary 1 (New Year’sDay) an officialholiday in 1935.