This document provides information about various cultural traditions in Turkey. It discusses wedding customs and traditions, including ceremonies before and during weddings. It also describes various Turkish folk traditions like Nevruz (New Year's), Hidirellez (arrival of spring), circumcision ceremonies, Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr), and Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha). The document also summarizes different forms of traditional Turkish theater such as Karagoz (shadow puppetry), puppet theater, Meddah (storytelling), and village plays.

1. Turkey Dialed 2012 /
Turkey – Spain -
Poland

2. Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially
as the Republic of Turkey is a Eurasian country
located in Western Asia and in East
Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is
bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the
northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the
northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the
east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.

3. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to
the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and
the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of
Marmara, the Bosphorus and
the Dardanelles (which together form
the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary
between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also
separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic
states. The vast majority of the population are
Muslims. The country's official language is
Turkish.

4. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary,
constitutional republic with an ancient
cultural heritage. Turkey has become
increasingly integrated with the West through
membership in organisations such as
the Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE and
the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full
membership negotiations with the European
Union in 2005, having been an associate
member of the European Economic
Community since 1963 and having joined
the EU Customs Union in 1995.

5. Turkish
Traditions and
Customs

6. Wedding Customs
Before the wedding
I. Matchmaking and asking for the hand of a daughter
II. a. Verbal agreement to betrothal
b. Sherbet
c. Engagement
III. Koran-accompanied wedding gift announcement
IV. Sending and exhibiting the trousseau
V. Bridal bath

8. Wedding
I. Henna night
a. Bride henna
b. Groom henna
II. Receiving the bride
III. Marriage
IV. Bridal Chamber
V. After the Bridal Chamber

10. Military Service and Leaving Home
The beginning and end of military service,
which Turkish society in general attaches such a
great importance, like the other major
landmarks in life, marked with ceremonies.
There are regional differences in the ceremonies
for sending someone off and welcoming him
back.

12. Beliefs
Good Luck- Bad Luck
Many of them have no scientific basis and
are not linked to any particular religious faith.
Although they often appear illogical or
unreasonable, they are still an integral part of
peoples’ hearts, brains and minds.

13. Popular Beliefs Related to Spirits,
Graveyards, Holy Tombs and Visits:
- It is considered bad luck to break a mirror.
- If a child constantly cries, it is believed that
someone will die in that house.
- The howling of a dog is considered a sign of
approaching death.
- If a cat jumps over a dead body before it is
taken out of the house, it is believed that the
body will become a fearsome ghost.

14. Popular Beliefs Related to Animals:
- A snake in a house, guards it.
- When a wolf howls, the weather will be very
cold, or there will be snow.
- A black cat passing in front of a person and
the hooting of an owl are both considered bad
luck.
- It is good to see scorpions in one’s dreams.

15. Evil Eye and Amulets Used for the Evil
Eye
People who suffer from the evil eye, its
effects and characteristics, the act of being
stricken by the evil eye, the evil eye and
amulets used for protection against it for
goods, property and animals, measures taken
against the evil eye, talismans such as the
muska (a necklace containing hidden prayers)
used against evil eye, practices such as
pouring lead, turning salt and making incense.

16. Fortune Telling
Traditional popular practices such as
fortune telling and fortune tellers, the reasons
why people go to fortune tellers, different
kinds of fortune telling such as using coffee,
tea, tarot cards, playing cards
etc., materials used in fortune
telling, interpretation of events,
interpretation of
dreams,“istihare” (making a wish
before sleeping)

17. and its different varieties, practices carried out
before “istihare,” making contact with
supernatural beings, necromancy, mediums,
reading others’ thoughts, influencing
another’s faith, destiny and luck, and making
wishes.

18. Vows
"If my wish comes true, I will sacrifice an
animal”. There are also other vows for the
good of a person or a group, such as lighting
candles. Vows may be aimed at an animal or
object as well as behavior or a change in
attitudes. Fasting is one example. Places near
rocks, trees, water and the graves of holy
figures may be used for votive offerings.

19. Prayers for Rain
A number of religious and traditional practices
are particularly to be found on mountains, high hills
or near the graves of holy figures, either to
encourage rain or stop heavy rain which may cause
floods. Prayers for sufficient rainfall may also be
offered.

20. FOLK CULTURES
Nevruz
Nevruz, a combination
of Persian words Nev (New)
and Ruz (Day), means the
new day and it is celebrated
as New Year's day by Turks
living in Central Asia, by
Anatolian Turks and
Persians. It is March 22nd
according to the western
and March 9th according to
the moslem calendars, when
the day and night are equal.

21. Hıdırellez
Arrival of Spring or Summer
which means revival of Nature
and its starting to live again is
an important event in the life
of human being in every corner
of the World. A widespread
belief in connection with
tradition of “Hıdırellez” is
performance of a celebration
for commemoration of the
date on which “Hızır” and
“İlyas” came together. The day
of “Hıdırellez” has been
generally celebrated on May
6th.

22. • Death Traditions and Graveyards
• Beliefs, Traditions, Places to Visit
• Wedding Tradition
• Local Theatres
• Turkish World
• Folk Medicaments

23. • Common Usage, Custom, Tradition and Convention
• Local Calendar
• Local Meteorology
• Folk Literature
• Superstitions
• Village Shows
• Karagöz
• Puppet Theater
• Ortaoyunu
• Meddah (Public story teller and mimic)

24. Places, Dancers, Preparations and
Reasons for the Performance of Folk
Dances
Folk dances are performed at
weddings, engagement ceremonies,
when sending young men off to
perform their military service, at
national and religious festivals, after
victories, going to and coming back
from from the high plateaus and at
meetings such as ferfene, yaren
talks, barana or sira gezmesi.

25. Dances are generally
performed in all suitable
open areas, but may
also be performed in
close areas as well.

26. People who enjoy
reputations as good
folk dancers are
especially invited to
wedding ceremonies.
These are respectable
people who have
knowledge of that
region’s music and folk
dances. Folk dances
owe their rich variety
of moves to such
people,

27. who happily improvise while performing in
order to show off their skills. In this way,
dances are successfully passed on to people
who may or may not be capable of dancing
themselves, especially the young ones.

28. Turkish Music Culture
Turkey’s cultural
fabric is made up of a
rich combination of
diverse cultures rooted
deeply in history. By
virtue of its geographical
position, Turkey lies at
the axis of the cultures
of the East, the West,
the Middle Eastern, the
Mediterranean and
Islam.

29. Anatolia is one of the
world’s oldest human
habitats – hosts of
civilizations have called it
home – and it enjoys a
unique cultural richness
with its thousands of
years of history.
Anatolia’s cultural variety is so rich that we can
see great cultural differences even in areas
geographically quite close to each other.

30. This colorful portrait holds just as true for
Turkey’s music.
We can categorize the types of music
heard through the years of Anatolia’s long
history into three groups:
• Traditional/Local Music
• Modern Turkish Classical Music
• Popular Music
• Other Music Examples

31. Romany Folk Culture Photography
Exhibition
• There were 52 black and white photographs in
the exhibition, which was open to the public
from 29th September to 6th October, 2000.
Bride ( Edirne )

32. Drummer and Zurna Player Groom
( Edirne ) ( Sakarya )

33. Romany Entertainment Clarinet Player
( Edirne ) ( Sakarya )

34. Basket-making Romany Girls Dancing
( Edirne ) ( Edirne )

35. THE OTTOMAN CUISINE
The Turkish tribes that once took the long
trek from Asia to Anatolia had carried with
much success this rich culture which stemmed
from the Far and which they had enriched
with the materials gathered from every
country along their pathway to their new
homeland cradling so many civilisations. It was
quite logical that the culinary culture would
receive its right place in this process.

36. The task in their new homeland was
communicated to the newcomers with the
sacrosanct order of “feed the hungry, cloth the
poor, rebuild the ruins and increase the
population”. Thus have evolved, developed and
acquired renown the Ottoman culture.
There were a lot of elements to develop this
flexible cultural acquis in the new homeland: The
country was first of all encircled by three seas:
Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean and
the two straits (İstanbul strait and Dardanelles)
connecting

37. them were offering their unmatched fertility
to the squatters while the Anatolia, with the
benefit of living all four seasons at the same
time was providing fresh vegetables and fruits
to the entire country that had the luxury of a
springtime in the West, summer in the South
and a mild autumn along the Black Sea coast.

38. Traditional Theatre
KARAGÖZ
This is a shadow play based on the
movements of representations of people,
animals or objects called “tasvir” made of
water buffalo or camel skin with the help of
sticks against a curtain with s strong source of
light behind it. The play takes name from its
main character, Karagöz.

39. Southeast Asia is considered to be the origin of
shadow theatre. There are different opinions as to its
existence in Turkey. According to one view, the “kor
kolcak” and “ cadir” games of Central Asia were in fact
examples of shadow theatre and came to Anatolia by
means of migration. Another opinion holds that Sultan
Yavuz Selim brought shadow theatre artists to Turkey
when he captured Egypt in 1517.
Karagöz, which took its final shape in the 18th
century, was always one of the most popular forms of
entertainment. Karagöz shows are performed by one
single artists. Movements of the models on the curtain,
their voices, different accents and mimicry are all
carried out by a single person.

40. PUPPET
Puppets, meaning “baby” in Turkish, are
one of the oldest forms of entertainment, and
have been found in Anatolia under different
names such as korcak, kudurcuk, kaburcuk,
kogurcak, kaurcak, lubet etc. Puppet shows
“Korkolcak” and “Cadir Hayal” (puppet with
ropes) are also known by the same names in
Central Asia, which is therefore believed to be
the origin of the whole tradition.

41. Puppet shows can be seen in many Turkish
communities, and have their own basic
techniques. They have been performed in
Turkish cities since the 17th century, and are
generally known as “bebek, cömce, gelin or
karacor” in villages. The puppet show a play of
movement and considerable volume that
takes its topics from daily life and literary
stories. It has been performed since the 14th
century. The main characters of the play are
“Ibis” and “the old man.” While Ibis is cunning
and good at making quick replies, the old man
is wise and wealthy.

42. MEDDAH
Meddahlik (the art of the meddah) is the
art of storytelling and mimicry. The curtain,
stage, decoration and costumes are all found
in a single person, and it is therefore a one-
man show.
The meddah tells stories to audience while
sitting on a chair. His stories deal with events
from daily life, folk tales, epics, stories and
legends.

43. VILLAGE PLAYS
Village plays are ritual plays performed by
villagers on special days, festivals and wedding
ceremonies, and are aimed increasing abundance
and good health or else to welcome in the New
Year. These plays are performed either in open
spaces or indoors on winter days. These plays
have come down from ancient times, although
they have changed in the process, but the first
examples were performed to give thanks to the
god and supernatural powers for abundance and
prosperity in life.

44. These plays are based on myths and similar beliefs
and contain the cultural essence of the people of
Anatolia, cultural elements brought in from Central
Asia and some other Islamic elements which entered
Turkish culture after conversion to Islam.
Cemal Play: This is performed on the day of sowing or
at the end of the harvest.
Ram mating: This aims to control the reproduction
season of the animals, since their young are unable to
survive or feed themselves in the winter months. This
is one variety of seasonal festival.
Face of Camel, Face of Sheep: Performed on the day
when the unborn young grow their first hair inside the
wombs of pregnant animals.

45. Traditional Sports
The sports in this section are largely
variations of wrestling (aba wrestling, grease
wrestling), horse race, jereed, camel wrestling,
bullfighting, cockfighting, hunting etc.
Jereed was very popular all over Anatolia 50-
60 years ago, although today it is only seen in
some parts of the Kars- Erzurum region and in the
Aegean. The great interest felt by Turkish people
in horse riding, and their considerable success at
it, turned first into an entertainment and later
into a sport. The jereed was a kind of a javelin
game played either on horse or on foot, although
today it appears as a cudgel.

46. The mounted variation is played with two
teams, each consisting of ten people. Riders
throw the jereed while approaching each
other at the gallop. Avoiding the jereed, and
particularly catching it in mid-air, earns a
score. When or how to throw the jereed is
pre-determined. The game is played by men,
and generally performed at weddings, on
special days or at fairs.

47. Examples for Traditional Sports
• Bullfighting (Kafkasör)
• Camel Wrestling
• Kırkpınar Wrestling
• The game of Jereed

48. Camel Wrestling

49. Bullfighting (Kafkasör)

50. Kırkpınar Wrestling

51. The game of Jereed

52. Circumcision
The tradition of circumcision is mainly separated
into the following headings;
- The best age and time for circumcision,
- Preparations for the ceremony,
- Preparing the child,
- The circumcision procedure and the circumciser,
- Gifts and presents.

54. Ramadan Bayram
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month, the
ninth one in the Lunar year; it is moved 10
days backwards every year. As it is the case
with all Muslims in the world.
The very holy day is a strict obligation
(farz) for every Muslim. Ramadan is the
holiest month in Islam, when the Koran was
published in year 610.

55. Congratulations on the
holy day begin afterwards,
firstly to the eldest (kissing
the hand). Younger people
always pay the visit to
older ones.
There are traditional
dishes for the festivity
(Bairam meet, alanditi, and
baklava). The celebration
lasts for three days and visits
are made all the time.

56. Sacrifice Bayram
In sacrifice Bayram, the Muslims cut sheep,
goat, cow, ox and camel. The meat of these
animals are distributed to the poor people.
Some people give money to some associations
instead and it is done through them.
Moreover, everybody exchanges bayram
greetings with each other.

57. Do’s and Don’t s
Men Only
If you are a woman, the only
establishments that you need to be aware of
are the Turkish tea houses. Culturally women
do not go in there. Instead look for a Turkish
tea garden where couples and families will go.
If you are in any doubt, take a look at who else
is there. Countless amounts of tables filled
with men playing cards mean it is a no go area
for females.

58. An Invitation To Their House
Turkish people invite anybody and anyone
around to their house. It might just be for
breakfast or a formal evening meal.
Remember to say Hos bulduk when entering
and they tell you that you are welcome. Shoes
in the house are generally not allowed.
Instead you will be given a pair of slippers.

59. Dressing
In rural areas a modest type of dressing is
required. It will be better if you wear knee-
height shorts and t-shirts instead of topless
tanks.

60. Gift Giving
Nobody will think that you are rude or
something if you don’t. But bringing a gift to your
host is one of the most applied Turkish customs.
There are even a phrase for this; "Coming empty
handed".
What can you bring as a gift?
• * A desert like baklava
• * A box of chocolate
• * Flowers (Cut or in a pot)

61. Meeting and Greeting
• When meeting someone, shake hands firmly.
• When departing shake hands again.
• Friends and relatives greet each other with two kisses
on the cheek. If you are not that close, you don't have
to kiss someone.
• Don’t be surprised if you see children kissing the hands
of the elderly. It is the way to show respect.
• When entering a room, if you are not automatically
met by someone greet the most elderly first.
• Always greet the people when you enter somewhere.
Greeting; “Selam” is very important here.

62. So here are basic greetings in Turkish;
• Hello = Merhaba (read as: mer-huh-bach),
• Good morning = Günaydın (read as: ghew-ny-
den),
• Good evening = Iyi akşamlar (read as: e-yee
akh-shum-lar, "lar" as in large) ,
• Thank you = Teşekkürler (read as: ta-shaq-
quer-lar, "lar" as in Larry).