Do Turks celebrate Christmas?
Answer
In Islam, Christ is revered as a prophet and the Virgin Mary as a saint. However, the birth of Christ is not celebrated. Nevertheless, Turks have appropriated many Christmas traditions and grafted them on to New Year. During the festive period, supermarket shelves are stocked with all manner of yuletide paraphernalia - multi-coloured shiny decorations, flickering fairy lights, soft toy Santas, papier-mâché winter scenes and twinkling, tinselled trees, all manufactured by the enterprising Chinese. This made Jack and Liam feel right at home. Read about it in Perking the Pansies, Jack and Liam move to Turkey.Search result for 'Christmas' in Perking the Pansies
Chapter 1:
In the Beginning
"...In the beginning there was work, and work was God. After thirty-five years in the business, the endless predictability made me question the Faith. Liam, on the other hand, was neither bored nor unchallenged but routinely subjected to the demands of a feckless boss, a soft and warm Christmas tree fairy with a soul of granite, Lucifer in lace. He feared for his tenure. I feared for his mental health.
..."
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Chapter 7:
Clement's Closet
"...burning of the guide books raised the attention of Tariq, who observed from afar, too scared to interrupt what he thought to be a sacred Christian rite. Tariq’s shapeless beige shorts and rumpled tee- shirt were no more. His new winter apparel, ankle-length, black baggy pantaloons and a bright Christmas jumper, was stylishly set off by a transparent cagoule and a bobble hat.
..."
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Chapter 12:
Tales of the City
27.
"... to join him. We hugged. A week had passed and he looked tired.
“I’m fine, just out of practice.”
Liam’s mother lit up like a Christmas tree angel when she saw her guests arrive.
“Stay where you are, Cathleen.” My mother leaned down and pecked her on the cheek.
“How about yer ..."
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Chapter 14:
The VOMITs
"...Carol was no Christmas cracker – a dumpy apple-shaped woman with yellow Celtic skin, ruddy thread-veined cheeks and a shocker of a hair do, all spikes and low lights. Noel was a classic broad-shouldered bald-headed bruiser with pig trotter hands and hairy knuckles. The huge gold sovereign ring jammed onto his left hand ..."
116.
"... to bid me farewell.
“I like you, boy.” “You do?”
He kissed my lips. “I do.”
Maybe Noel thought that Christmas had come early. Carol was having none of it and dragged him off to a waiting taxi.
“You stupid man, I’m not going through that again.”
The handsome waiter with ..."
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Chapter 18:
Paradise Lost
"...ignition, cranked the car into gear and slowly drove down the hill, waving at the small crowd like the old dowager he was. For all his fastidiousness and dodgy views he was a kindly man. Clement was the dotty but loveable old maiden aunt who always pitched up at Christmas and drank all the sherry. We would miss him though we couldn’t say the same for the black magic moggy. Liam had one of his I-always-cry-at-airports moments before settling down to a final bitch-fest.
..."
