Christmas in Türkiye / Turkey
Christmas really isn't celebrated in Türkiye / Turkey. December 25th isn't a public holiday - it's just a normal day! Only 0.2% of the Turkish population are Christians, and many of those are migrants/refugees from countries such as Syria and Iran, etc. Christians in Turkey will go to Christmas services at their churches. Istanbul (formally known as Constantinople) is still an important location for the Greek and Eastern Orthodox Churches as the churches have had a base there for hundreds of years.
Many towns and cities have decorations and light displays and more people are having decorations in their homes, such as Christmas Trees. However, they are more used to celebrate New Year's Eve which is a much bigger celebration in Turkey than Christmas.
New Year's Eve is known as 'Yılbaşı gecesi' and is one of the biggest holidays in Türkiye / Turkey. Families come to gather and eat a meal together. A popular main dish is Turkey (But in Turkish, Turkeys - the bird - are known as 'Hindi' - which means 'India')!
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