First and foremost, for any foreigner here during the end-of-year holiday season, the decorations for "noel" can honestly seem confusing. Especially because what "noel" refers to here in Türkiye is New Year's Eve and not Christmas, and thus the Christian holiday we left behind us last weekend. When Turks say "iyi noeller," what they mean is Happy New Year. But, interestingly enough, Turks do tend to celebrate their "noel" albeit on Dec. 31, in quite a similar fashion as Christmas, with customs for the holiday including feasting on a roast dinner and gifting loved ones with presents.
While New Year's Eve is not an official holiday, Jan. 1, i.e., the New Year is referred to as "Yeni Yıl." This means that there is another way to greet and wish Turks a new year by wishing "yeni yılınız kutlu olsun," which is Turkish for "have a Happy New Year." As it is generally an official holiday, yet this New Year's day falls on a Sunday, so be aware that some shops may will close earlier this Saturday and some may remain closed on Sunday. That said, expect certain shops, and especially food markets and charcuteries, to be buzzing on Saturday. This is because many people in Türkiye choose to usher in New Year’s Eve at home with friends and family visiting each other and feasting. Charcuteries selling cheese, dips and traditional Turkish finger foods may also have lines out the door as these dishes can be brought to potluck parties, which is popular and when most guests tend to bring something to eat and share. Otherwise, a New Year’s Eve dinner here in Türkiye could consist of soup, roasted lamb, rice and seasonal vegetable dishes and a pumpkin dessert.
Gifting over New Year’s Eve is also quite popular here in Türkiye, and similar to a pop-over, you may have a surprise guest or one with a gift come knocking at your door at this time of year; so you might want to have a few keepsake items to gift at a moment’s notice if you receive a present from someone you were not expecting. It's hard to gauge who to give gifts to here because they can come out of the blue and so it is best advised to be prepared. Also, don’t be shocked or offended if you happen to receive a pair of red undergarments. Be forewarned that anyone could gift such an item as it is considered good luck to put on something red as the clock ticks midnight.
New Year's Eve gift ideas for Turks could be Turkish delight, a bottle of Turkish cologne, an evil eye "nazar boncuğu," something red, and anything related to a pomegranate, which symbolizes prosperity and abundance. One tradition that Turks like to follow is to break open a pomegranate at the threshold of the front door and to then eat its kernels, which has benefits in twofold: Not only are you inviting home good fortune, but also for everyone who partakes.
Traditionally families would roast chestnuts and play bingo all while watching the entertaining line-up and countdowns to midnight that feature on New Year's Eve. While the bingo game-playing part of this custom has unfortunately diminished, watching the dazzling line-up of stars putting special performances at night and all from the comforts of home is still how many tend to spend the night.
Another custom that is popular amongst the Turks is to buy a lottery ticket for the grand Milli Piyango draw that takes place live on television. The tickets are sold prior to New Year's Eve, draws can be purchased as single tickets for TL 200, a half ticket for TL 100 and a quarter ticket for TL 50. This means that the prize, which is TL 200 million this year, is also divided accordingly among winners.
For those who don't want to stay in on New Year's Eve, there are a lot of venues that host special dinners or parties. Almost every popular restaurant puts on a special set menu for the evening. Many hotels and restaurants will have full-blown galas this Saturday night, many including musical performances and dinner for a potentially pricy ticket. These can be fancy events with people dressing up in elegant eveningwear.
Then there are those that take to the streets as a number of municipalities also host parties in main squares with concerts and celebrations to ring in the New Year. For example, amongst the five-day festivities planned by the Bodrum Municipality, Turkish rock star Teoman will be closing out the year. Meanwhile, in both Çeşme and Izmir there will be municipality-hosted festivities. In Istanbul, many flock to neighborhoods that are decked out with holiday decorations such as Nişantaşı. However, beware of traffic and road closures if you are trying to be anywhere by midnight. Trust me, I have spent many a New Year midnights in a taxi just trying to get somewhere in Istanbul, starting even hours earlier, yet failing miserably. Luckily, announcements have been made that public transportation will be operating 24 hours on the evening leading into the New Year.
In Istanbul, a number of multiple-day New Year's fairs will be running this week. These events can include stands, attractions and activities for kids such as ice-skating rings and performances by popular bands. Albeit a newer concept and way to celebrate the New Year, from the New Year's town for kids in Maçka, Beylikdüzü's New Year's Street, to Istanbul Wonder Village in Küçükçiftlik Parkı, and a hipster holiday market at Müze Gazhane, there are a variety of options to gift shop, watch musical performances and celebrate at Türkiye's new-wave "noel" markets.
Last, but not least, when the clock strikes midnight, don't be surprised if you see fireworks light up the sky as Turks also like to celebrate the New Year with a colorful bang!
