Gifts to Turkey

SPECIAL DAYS IN TURKEY

Special days are usually common in Turkish life with the special days of the rest of the world. The care that taken to the special days are changing in Turkish life. Some of the special days are commented out below.

COMMON SPECIAL DAYS
Day / Period	Popularity	Comments
Valentines Day February 14	Becomes more popular every year.	Valentines Day is being celebrated in Turkey about last 10 years. It is very common that the lovers or spouses give gifts to eachother in Valentines Days.
Womens Day March 8	Popular among intellectual people, worth to remember ladies.	Womens Day becomes more popular from year to year. Not only the mothers or the lovers, older ladies also welcome gifts womens Days.
Mothers Day Second Sunday of May	Popular for a long time.	Mothers day is one of the greates and most popular classical special day. Not only mothers, elder sisters, aunts, grandmothers are the persons that will be remembered by sending gifts.
Fathers Day Third Sunday of June	Popular, following the Mothers Day.	Fathers Day is the special day that becomes more popular after the increasing popularity of Mothers Day. Fathers recently want to be remembered more every year.
Teachers Day November 24	Popular.	Teachers day is a special day, popular in Turkey. If you have a relative or a friend that is a teacher, a gift in Teachers Day will be suitable.
New Year December 31	Very popular, celebrated every year.	Turkish people like to celebrate the new year. A special care must be taken that the christmas must not be confused with new year. Christmas is a special day of christianity, not the islamic.
Festival of Sacrifices Periodic in Islamic Lunar Calendar Next in; December 31, 2006	Popular.	These are religious festivals in islamic world and have more traditional understanding in Turkish culture than that of other Islamic countries. Visits or phone calls to parents, to older people are conventions and the religious aspect lost its importance in recent decade. Sending gift in these special days is not a must but welcomed.
Festival of Ramazan Periodic in Islamic Lunar Calendar Next in; October 23, 2006	Popular.

PERSONAL SPECIAL DAYS
Day / Period	Popularity	Comments
Birthdays	Popular among mid-aged and young people.	Birthdays are popular among young poeple, mid-aged people and especially children, and gifts are must. Older people in Turkey usually does not care much for their birthdays.
Wedding Anniversaries	Popular among mid-aged and young people.	Weddings are dates that usually are celebrated within the couple. Special gifts are welcomed as celebration.
New Born Baby	Popular.	The celebration for the bew born baby is a tradition. Giving gifts for the baby and to mother is very usual.
Weddings	Very popular.	Weddings are celebrated with wedding ceremonies. Relatives and friends send flowers to the ceremony and give gifts to the couple. In wedding gifts have some speciality when compared to others. Gold coins, bracelets and golden ornaments usually prefered as gifts since the ease of conversion to money that the couple will possibly need in near future.
Engagement Ceremonies	Popular.	Not as more than the weddings but engagement is being done as ceremony in Turkey. The ceremonies can have variety in how large they are organized. They can be organized in-house party among two core families or hundrets of people may be called to a hired restaurants. Giving gifts are usual in these celebrations.