New Year’s Celebrations in Turkey
The dawn of a New Year is a sign of a fresh start; old resolutions are revised and newer ones are born. Promises are made and plans formulated.
New Year’s Eve is really a defining day for many people around the globe. However, there is nothing quite like a New Year’s Eve celebration in Turkey!
Throughout the year, Turkey is an ideal place to travel with its long and luxurious coastlines, ancient ruins, quaint towns, teeming cities, hilly areas, idyllic ports and so much more. The famous Fethiye to Olympos blue cruises along the Mediterranean encompassing all of this are one the most popular attractions of why people come to Turkey in the summer months.
But near the end of the year, people flock towards Turkey for yet another reason: the massive New Year celebrations that certainly do not lag behind any other country.
New Years Day is a national holiday in Turkey and the New Years Eve is normally counted as a half day, as shops and post offices begin to close down early. The grand celebrations include a countdown on the crowded Taksim Square of Istanbul.
A popular holiday in Turkey, it’s celebrated in both traditional and urban styles, with family dinners the norm featuring a roasted turkey. Hotel and restaurants also offer entertainment programs indoors to cater to the tourists.
The Beyoglu district around Taksim Square, which is the city’s commercial and entertainment hub, is also an ideal place to enjoy all sorts of foreign cuisines and delicacies.
Many famous locations that offer a good entertainment package, like the Kervansaray Restaurant, Orient House, Sultana’s, Gar Restaurant and Istanbulin are scattered throughout this region. The alleyways are alive in this district with crowds of people dancing and live music streaming onto the streets; traditional and modern music intertwined.
The rooftop bars along these alleyways and the famous Istiklal Street are sure to give a grand view of the large fireworks display.
For those wanting an even better view of the fireworks display in the city of Istanbul, the restaurants and hotels of The Golden Horn are generally ideal because of the vivacious night out as well as the pleasure of being close to the coastal area which offers an enchanting view of midnight.
The Bosphorus Bridge being the epicentre of the fireworks displays, not only can they be viewed from the Golden Horn but also witnessed from most of the city centers, as well as aboard a cruise sailing on the Bosporus strait.
This is a very charming setting to enjoy bringing in the New Year while avoiding the crowds and the traffic on the busy streets.
The various symbols of New Year that you may see around the city include the New Years Tree. Don’t be surprised to see Noel Baba in Istanbul. He is the Turkish version of the Santa Claus.
If you happen to have an acquaintance in the city, you may get the chance of joining on the house parties, where small gifts are exchanged with friends and relatives, delicious dishes are prepared and late night celebrations held.
If a skiing holiday in an out of town location is more to your taste, you can also visit the slopes of Uludag, about a 3 hour drive from Istanbul. The setting here will be more sedate, and ideal for people who want to avoid crowds or who are going with kids.
Considering the track record, 2015 will be no less than other years for fun lovers looking out for a memorable evening.
Small tip: Make your reservations now, because things are about to get heated!
