1. TURKISH FAMILY STRUCTURE

2. TURKISH FAMILIES : Turkish families have some cultural differences from other nations. A traditional Turkish family usually consists of parents and children.Children generally don’t leave home before marriage unlike some nations. Relationships with relatives are very strong. They visit most of their relatives in all the festivals and a lot of Turkish families live very close with their relatives. Generally people who become old in a family is looked after in that family and aren’t sent to anywhere and is respected as before.

3. Children learn Turkish traditions since birth. If they have elder sisters or brothers, they do not call them with their names, they call them ‘elder sister (abla) or elder brother (a ğ abey)’. This is a way of reflecting respect towards older ones. Older siblings call their younger ones with their names. In a Turkish family mother and father take decisions together. Children listen to and respect older people, learn to be a good person from them and all the people in the family love, help and protect each other.

4. TURKISH TRADITIONS

5. TURKISH TRADITIONS: Turkish people, who have a long history, have a lot of traditions in use in daily life. These traditions are special to Turkish people and is not used in a country that is not connected with us. Our traditions, which we made in a long time, are very assorted and now we will introduce them to you.

6. TURKISH FEASTS : Turkish people have a lot of feasts,but something is always the same in our feasts. Before a feast we clean everywhere. We buy new feast clothes for everybody in our family. We prepare our houses, ourselves, buy food, and make ‘baklava’ and other meals and visit our relatives’ graves. On the feast day people who are younger visit other people that are older and congratulate their feast. In those family visits candies and colognes are served. Adults give children money or candies.

7. HAVING A GUEST : Turkish people believe guests are sent to their houses by the God and try to help the guest accommodate comfortably. When a guest comes to a Turk’s house, he is served cologne,Turkish food, Turkish coffee and tea. The guest wears guest slippers and stays in the living room or in the guest room. If that guest stays in the house for some days, hosts give the most beautiful room and the most comfortable bed to him and do everything to make the guest happy and feel comfortable as he feels at his own house.

8. GOING TO THE ARMY: When a male is 20 years old,before going to the army some relatives give him money. During his last days before joining the army, he visits his relatives. While he is leaving,all his relatives see him off and celebrate the event. Turkish musical instruments are played and people do traditional dances and say “The best soldier is our soldier!” at the final and send him to the army with great honour believing he is serving his country as he is serving the God.