christmas time

ten days to go. in a country where tolerance means tolerance to agreement, freedom of speech means freedom to speak the same language, democracy means freedom to vote for what everyone else votes, the time for controversy arrives.

what is to be celebrated is the name of the argument. new year? noel (christmas)? islamic 'bayram' (religious feast) of offering? this year the 'rumi' calendar of islam and the common gregorian one played a game to remember. within ten days time this year christmas, new year's and 'bayram' coincides. new years day and the first day of bayram, the day when every family is supposed to slaughter a sheep or a cow (sometimes even a camel -see picture below) overlaps the new year's eve. people are supposed to finish shopping for new year's and bayram on saturday, go to sleep, wake up early on sunday, slaughter some animal, cook some of it, distribute the rest among needy, go to the beauty parlor, prepare for new year's festivities, visit close relatives all day long and have fun until the first lights of monday, 1st of January. quite a schedule,isn't it?

the controversy comes when fundamentalists argue that new year's celebrations are of christian origins and therefore are sinful. there is a long time tradition in secular metropolitan Turkey to erect christmas trees and put presents under them to be opened January the 1st. however this tradition, started during the modernization efforts of 40's and 50's, is under severe attack by the ruling forces (both politically and culturally) since the first time political ruling of fundamentalist party mid-90's. within all these arguments though, I have not been able to hear one single person propogating a though such as; "let them be. whoever wants to erect a tree, let them erect whatever they wish. if someone wishes to celebrate christmas (or hannukah for that matter, since the vast majority of 'official' turkish minorities are jews), let them celebrate, whoever wishes to spend the new year's eve in mosques, let them..."

but personallyi I am enjoying a sight totally different from the above arguments since last night. a prestigious shopping mall started displaying their 'new year's' ornaments. it's one of the best I have ever seen here and it is georgeous. the whole building is surrounded by a wall of lights very much like a Russian Orthodox christmas decorations (or should I say architecture).

see it for yourselves and enjoy.