Since I don´t particurarly enjoy face to face bargaining and I´m also overly lazy, I decided to collect all the Christmas / New Years Eve presents through GittiGidiyor.

I plan to buy this for my husband:
http://urun.gittigidiyor.com/Ozel-Marvel-Spiderman-Venom-Netbook-Ipad-Kilif_W0QQidZZ28945592

My question is: If you are a guy who´s a tiny bit obsessed with Marvel comics or movies, would you like it as a present? I think it looks cool, but I´m a girl after all, so what do I know?

I´ll get this for myself: http://urun.gittigidiyor.com/1TL-Harika-Tasarim-Orjinal-Lapis-Halhal-Bileklik_W0QQidZZ29287109

And this one: http://urun.gittigidiyor.com/Nightmare-Before-Xmas-JACK-Kirmizi-Anahtarlik_W0QQidZZ28945248 Definitely.

Muhahaha!

PS: How about you? What do you plan to buy? I have heard that lots of people give red stuff as a present on New Year´s Eve in Turkey, because they think it brings good luck. Last year I got red panties from my mother-in-law. That´s all I have to say about that...

Q:

I was in Izmir one day last week and couldn´t help noticing the montains of red underwear for sale in Kemeraltı and also in shops along the main streets. Everything from nickers, singlets and bras, to men´s boxers ! And then I saw the same in our little village market on Moday. And it was in the papers on Tuesday

What does it mean ? A new fashion trend, or is ther a deeper meaning ?

A:

When we spend our first New Years eve with my relatives I was given a gift (as were the rest of the females, but not the men) when I opened it a found a pair of red knickers.

Suddenly at midnight all the women started to run out of the room clutching these red knickers and urged me to follow, I asked my husband what was going on and he said it was usual to put them on at this time as it was supposed to bring you good luck for the coming year. I said to my husband that I found it rather strange as his family are very religious, he said that of course no one took it seriously or believed it would bring you good luck, more that it was just a bit of fun.

The females take it in turns every year to buy them and I have to buy for next New Year.

Source:

http://www.turkeycentral.com/forum/index.php?/topic/1577-red-underwear/

I have also heard that they serve turkey ...

... and pilav ...

... during the traditional New Year´s Eve family dinner.

Nobody is fascinated by the subject, eh? That´s all right.

No  no no  I like the bit about the red pantiesand maybe I will wear my red panties on New years eve could do with a bit of luck

Everybody does

I have heard about a similar custom in Spain and Italy, too.

Right thats it they are definitely coming out  for the evening

I never heard of specific traditions for New Year´s.. nor did I see people giving gifts for this occasion. All I´ve seen is people getting together, playing games, watching tv, eating or attending real serious parties. Lots of champagne and waiting for midnight to end the year..

I, for one, am very interested...Pray tell us how often it brought you good luck !

Should I seriously consider adding one to my own wardrobe ?

I´ve heard about red underwear bringing luck but in Poland this superstition goes with a secondary school ball, something like prom in the US but it takes place 100 days before final exams. Wearing red underwear on the ball night is supposed to bring good luck to girls during exams. Boys have to stay away from a barber and not cut their hair till after the exams

i haven´t heard about any New Year´s Eve traditions and I come from a country that loves their supersitions...we just get together, get drunk and kiss everyone we see at midnight (quite a challenge of you go to celebrate in a public place). That´s basically it

I dont believe also red underwear and luck..It is good for shops to sell and profit...

Breaking NEWS!

On the last day of December, I went to an office. They were playing Christmas Songs!

I ate at a restaurant, which was packed with New Year´s Eve leaflets - all decorated with bows, bells and Christmas trees!

On my way home I passed a butcher´s shop where I saw a frozen Turkey in a neat Thanksgiving costume!

In the evening, every fifth person on the street was wearing a Santa Claus hat...

Watching New Year´s Eve footages next day on Tv, I (yet again) saw Santa Clauses visiting poor children, giving them presents. I saw a Christmas tree popping up on the screens after the clock hit midnight at an outdoor party.

Is it possible that it was not just New Year´s Eve, but also Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas and Thanksgiving?

Pictures from http://kozyurt.blogspot.com/ and http://taheny.com

hahaha

that´s true

although there is no Christmas in Turkey, most Christmas traditions are applied on New Year´s Eve.

actually, many people think they are the same, i mean they think christmas is on 31st dec.

old people start complaining because we are celebrating christmas etc.

Christmas is not a festivity whose celebration is enforced by civil laws in any country. Turkia is no exception. Though a great majority of people celebrate the day for religious reasons, some people may have other reasons.

1. Against the contrary belief, Turkia is not a Moslem country. Turkish citizens belong to a variety of faiths, one of which is Christianity. It s therefore perfectly normal. (a)for those Christian citizens to  follow this established custom of their religion, and (b) for non Christian citizens to share the joy of their Christian neighbors on this peaceful and jubilant occassion.

Only few idiots remain unable to share this universal joy and think within narrow limits of "We are all moslems here; why feel jubilant on Christmas?". The saddest part for me is that these idiots justify their negative stand via Islam, as if Islam can ever be against the celebration of Jesus´s birthday, for Jesus is a prophet according to Holy Quran.

2. On more pagan side; Christian or not, Turkish citizens have another very good reason to celebrate Christmas. The most colorful character of the occassion, Santa Claus is a Turk, a very old friend of my great-great grand fathers´ ....Believe it or not !

inanmıyorum 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/21/turkey.saint.nicholas/index.html

No doubt about it Henry !

Christmas is not a festivity whose celebration is enforced by civil laws in any country. This is true. But majority of turkish people (probably this includes YOU) are unaware that Christmas is on 25th of December. I have not seen anyone in Turkey (except Christians like Turkish-Greeks, Turkish-Armenians, etc) doing ANY celebrations on 25th of December nor on Christmas Eve (night of 24th of December).

Besides, you have no right to refer to people as idiots because they are not celebrating something.

Moreover, it is probably correct that Santa Claus, or more correctly Saint Nicholas, has lived in Demre, which belongs to Turkey at the moment. However, he is believed to live in 4th century, during which Turkish people (more correctly, Turkic people) were living in Middle Asia! Therefore, he was probably GREEK, not Turkish.

Christmas is a Season, not just a day.  Christians celebrate it from the beginning of Advent (the forth Sunday before Christmas) until the Epiphany (January 6th). 

About Advent:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent

About the Epiphany:  http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Epiphany.htm

We have many faiths (or lack of faith in some cases) in my family and manage to sit through meals and several hours of merriment without incident!  I agree with you Alpha that it should be a time of universal joy.  Everyone just needs to relax and enjoy eachother...something we don´t do very much during the year.   

I think it is also worthwhile to add that while December 25 is the date recognized by western christians, the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#Orthodox_Christian_Churches

 I had forgotten that tomac.  Thanks for reminding me.  I guess in my post, I should have been more specific and said "Catholics" and not "Christians." 

Orthodox Christianity also celebrate Easter the Sunday after Catholics (and most other Christian demoninations) as well.

In any case, I don´t usually take down my Christmas decorations until January 6th...Do you think I should leave them up for an extra day in honor of Othodox Christmas? 

I once left a Christmas Tree up till after Valentine´s Day (February 14).  I´m not sure why..... I think I took the decorations off of it in January however. 

 I am all for leaving it up all year....you could just put different decorations for the different holidays during the year!  Hearts with red lights for Valentines....shamrocks and green lights for St. Paddy´s Day...etc...

I have considered that!  hehehe.....A different theme each month!  But I think I´d leave the tree "natural" for June.

On a side note, my parents could never do this as their 2 cats enjoy sleeping IN their tree when nobody is looking--about half way up the tree.  My pets could care less.  Thank God lol.

Yes, I noticed that, too. Many people in Turkey think that Christmas Day is December 31. Most of those people don´t really know about the "background story" but they like the motives (Christmas tree, the color red, bells etc) so they use them as decoration on New Year´s Eve. Very interesting.

 Orthodox Christmas is in the same day like Chatolic ( 25 December) not

after 1 week. Just Easter its not all the time in same day ( depends on the moon).

Orthodox Christmas this year will be celebrated on Friday, January 7, 2011.

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/moscow/russian-orthodox-christmas

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-day

Not all, but MOST of Orthodox Christian churches (Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian, Montenegrian) celebrate Christmas Day on January 7, using the Gregorian calendar, which is the date works to be December 25 in the Julian calendar. However, some Orthodox Christians, such as the churches of Greece,  Finland,  Orthodox Church in America, and I suppose Romania (according to Zeytinne´s post), among others, accepted Julian calendar for celebrating their holidays, so they celebrate Christmass Day on the same day as Catholic Christians.

On the other hand, Easter is a moveable feast, and it doesn´t fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian nor Julian calendars, since they both follow the cycle of the Sun/Moon. In  Christianity using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, and in Eastern Orthodox churches — which use the Julian calendar for religious dating — Easter also falls on a Sunday, but  between April 4 and May 8. Sometimes happens that Western and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter  on the same day, but usually it is a different date.

I´m not sure, but I think that Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmass with Catholics, and Easter with Orthodox Christians. I wish if someone informed me if I´m right.

Just dropped by to say HI!

Sorry guys, but from now on I won´t be able to post exercises. I have just started an intermediate Turkish course and it seems that I am going to be very busy in the next couple of months. Maybe I´ll come back from time to time to bitch and cry for (mercy?) help.

Today was the first day and one of my classmates decided to showcase her goods. Let´s just say, I saw waaaaay more boobs today than I was expecting. Still recovering from the visual shock... 

I am advanced in Turkish Language and I still dont get to see anything so spectacular Must change my course.

What kind of language school are you in where you are seeing other women´s boobs?  Is this a nudist Turkish school?  (By chance, is your teachers name, thehandsom? ) 

 ummmmmm...... okay??
lol, in new years in america, we have a HUGE ball drop and when the ball drops fully, fireworks expload and confettie flys everywhere XD its awesome XD

No more boobs! She has been transfered to a higher class. Apperaently, her language skills have improved a lot in the last couple of days