The traditions of the place
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The traditions of the place
The household
During the Ottoman period, the household was vibrant and filled with a lot of people. Sons had to stay with their parents even after marriage. Not only that, each men could have up to four wives. However, this is not the case today. With the Turkish Republic established in 1923, all these were aborted and changed. Men were only allowed a monogamous marriage and newly wed could have their own homes without living with their parents. Despite the changed system, crowded households are still prevalent especially in the villages. For example, Turkey has one of the highest birth rates in the world. In Eastern Anatolia, 60% of the population is under 20 years old!
Marriage
Since birth, parents have already prepared for the child’s weddings. Mothers keep aside bed linen, kitchen and bathroom towels and even pretty napkins for their daughters. Fathers on the other hand, start saving a little each month to throw a wedding party for their sons. The girl’s family of marriage provide for bedroom and kitchen while the boy’s side provide for furniture for sitting and dining rooms. Although marriage tradition varies from region to region, the bridal gown is usually white, similar to that in the West. Similarly to most western practices, the bride wears her veil and takes it out only after marriage vows are exchanged. During old times, when marriage was usually arranged, it usually is the first time a man sees the face of his wife. Nowadays, this part of the marriage is only kept part and parcel of the ritual but the villages might still hold such practice.
During the registration ceremony, it is believed that whoever steps on their spouse foot first will be the domineering one in the marriage. Therefore, many couples usually have their concentration span on finding the foot of their spouse rather than what is happening on the table itself.
In traditional regions, pinning a bank note on the bridal’s outfit is a common practice. However, in urbanized areas, gifts usually come as an item for practical uses in the newly wed homes.
Positions in the household
The foot stepping winner or loser does not apply to this context. The wife, no matter what, has an upper hand in the house. Turkish women usually place high regards to her home. The wife is usually the one who knows where to get daily items such as excess matches, sack of potatoes or even her husband’s socks! It is very typical if a Turkish husband does not know how to set the table or wash the dishes.
To add on, the culture still places the idea that if the man helps the wife out at home, he cannot be considered a “manly man”. However, there are still women who show evidence of their superiority. In culture shock turkey!, a visitor once recounted a Turkish women saying “He messes everything up and I have to do the job again after him, so I might as well do it myself.”
The Elderly
Newly weds usually have their homes all to themselves till their parents become old. Even though some homes are provided for the elderly, it is not looked upon positively by society if children were to place their parents in there. Instead, most Turkish people rather take care of their parents themselves.
In turkey, there are little community schemes and activities organized for the old folks. Therefore, most of them stay at home to help out their children with light house chores and most importantly, to provide love and moral support for their grandchild.
Birth
When a Turkish woman is pregnant, photographs of attractive actors and actresses are usually placed around the room as they hold the belief that looking at attractive individuals would help them conceive an attractive baby.
Another common belief in Turkey is that within 40 days of the baby’s birth, he or she is vulnerable to evil forces. Therefore, the wife usually stays at home for the first 40 days with visitors coming to see her. Common presents such as gold coins, clothes and toys are usually given to the mother during these visits.
Circumcision
Circumcision is the most common religious ritual that all Turkish boys have to go through. Other religious practices attending Friday mosques, fasting or being kosher can be ignored, but an uncircumcised Turkish boy is never heard of. During the ages between 5 to 15 years old, there is a turning point into manhood. This is symbolized by their circumcision. Usually this ritual is done during the seasons which are warmer such as spring or late summer so that it would be more comfortable for them.
(In picture: Circumcision outfit worn for the after circumcision party) 
