Turkish Culture

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Turkish culture

Turkey is a beautiful country that gets attention of many tourists because of its unusual geographical position and rich heritage. It is the connecting bridge between the two the continents; Europe and Asia. The majority of the population of Turkey is Turkish that makes 80% of the total population (Koc, Hancioglu and Cavlin, p.g 447-457). However, the other ethnic groups make the rest 20% of the population and those groups are the Kurds, Arabs, Greeks, and Circassians. It has a vast history that has contributed to enrich the culture of the country. Moreover, the national language of the country is "Turkish." The culture of Turkey has elements driven from other diverse and heterogeneous cultures from the region that were brought together by the rulers of the country. The traditional culture of the country transformed into a unique form by taking influences from the modernization and westernization since the 19th century (Kandiyoti & Saktanber, N.p.).

Firstly, the Turkish culture promotes a family system. It has a strong belief that the family members should live together and take care of each other, both physically and emotionally. Due to such cultural practices, there is a strong connection between the family members . However, family size varies throughout the country. Specific gender roles are assigned to the family members on the basis of their culture. The government implements gender equality. People who are living in rural areas give much importance to their culture and traditions while people living in metropolitan areas are much influenced by westernization.

Moreover, Turkish cuisine includes vegetables and meat. A loaf of sourdough bread is eaten with every meal. Some of the famous dishes of Turkish tradition includes Kebabs, Dolma and Borek. Kebab is the word used for roasted meat and Dolma are the dishes made from vegetables. The favorite food of most of the Turkish people is Eggplant (Kandiyoti & Saktanber, N.p.). However, the food preferences vary with the season and region. For instance, people living in coastal areas like fish as a food. However, Pork is considered Taboo in Turkey because the majority of the population is Muslim and it is forbidden in Islam.

There is nothing like the beautiful cultural and religious festivals of Turkey. The cultural and religious festivals include Izmir, Ramadan, Kadir Gecesi, camel wrestling, Kurban and Seker. Izmir is maintaining the oldest tradition of the festival event in Turkey. It is usually celebrated in September and consists of a series of social and musical events. In addition, Ramadan is the essential religious festival of Muslims that continues for a month. It is a fasting month, and Muslims do not take food for half a day. Likewise, Kadir Gecesi and Kurban are other religious festivals related to Muslims.

The traditional clothing is not worn commonly nowadays. However, in old times Turkish people would weave to make their clothing and dye with the dyes from natural plant ingredients. Each region is represented by its design of socks, scarves, and hats. The national costumes of Turkey are, Yasmak, Islak, Fes, Yelek, Cepken, Salvar, and Entari Humphreys and Brown, pp. 927-952). However, the developed cities represent the western lifestyle. Females wear maxi dresses, shorts, skirts, and miniskirts. Sandals, Flip-flop, and Flats are most preferred footwear among women. Moreover, some familiar concepts in Turkish Culture are based on kindness, trustworthiness, faithfulness, hospitality, nationalism, and Honor. All of these notions have become the basis for the ethical terms and etiquettes in Turkish culture.

In conclusion, Turkish Culture is enriched that presents a complete way of life for its people. Although, it has been influenced by western culture slightly but it's distinctive culture is still preserved in some areas of the country. Some Turkish people see connectedness in their culture even living away from their homeland.

Works Cited

Humphreys, Michael, and Andrew D. Brown. "Dress and identity: A Turkish case study." Journal of Management Studies 39.7 (2002): 927-952.

Kandiyoti, Deniz, and Ayşe Saktanber, eds. Fragments of culture: The everyday of modern Turkey. Rutgers University Press, 2002.

Koc, Ismet, Attila Hancioglu, and Alanur Cavlin. "Demographic differentials and demographic integration of Turkish and Kurdish populations in Turkey." Population Research and Policy Review 27.4 (2008): 447-457.