15 Weird Features of Life in Turkey That Can Be Hard to Get Used to

When we think of Turkey, we immediately think of paradisiacal beaches, breathtaking landscapes, the Dead Sea and the different pages of our history books. But, we must also remember that Turkey is a country where the West meets the East and, therefore, our expectations may not always correspond to reality, as the Turks live in a very different way than many imagine.

we, from awesome.club, we want to share some Turkish day-to-day traditions that not all tourists know about. Follow up!

In Turkey, people like to live in the present. Planning, sticking to schedules and living at a frenetic pace are certainly not typical Turkish traits. To a tourist it may even seem that people are doing nothing, as they drink tea, stroll calmly through the park on a sunny day, talk to their neighbors, etc., as if they have no obligations. And this also applies to business, as there is no great pressure on employees, absurd demands to meet deadlines or threats of dismissal. A negative side of this lighter attitude of living is the lack of punctuality. Scheduling a meeting in advance can be a little difficult, and small delays are perfectly acceptable.

In Istanbul, you can often find men with shaved hair and wearing a black headband, or even a bandage on the back of their necks. The first thing that comes to mind is that they are religious extremists and that they have done some ritual. Then we think maybe they’re sick. But actually, these men go to Istanbul especially for hair transplant. Turks are very concerned about their appearance, but unfortunately, many are prone to baldness from an early age and, therefore, opt for a transplant. It is now easy to understand why there are hundreds of clinics that perform this procedure in the Turkish capital.

Turkish weddings are a subject of their own, full of interesting and even funny customs. One of the traditions, for example, is that before the wedding the bride must write the names of her single friends on the sole of her shoe. The name that is deleted first will be the next to marry. Lately, the Turks began to complement this tradition with the classic habit of throwing the bride’s bouquet.

More than half of Turkish women choose to have a cesarean, even though there is no medical justification for doing so. Many attribute this option to family upbringing: Turkish girls tend to be overprotected (and a little spoiled) by their parents and, as a result, do not take pain well. In recent years, doctors have increasingly insisted on normal births, and those who are still afraid are offered water birth. Also, Turkish men have no problem being present at the time of delivery and most likely will still have a photo shoot.

If you marry a Turk or a Turkish woman, get ready to say goodbye to your name. Because, in Turkish families, spouses have the custom of calling each other not by their first name, but by some “cute” names, such as: aşkım (my love), guneşim (my sun), dog (my life), melğim (my angel), among many others. Calling someone by their first name demonstrates a little more formality, and can be the way used to address friends or acquaintances, but a couple does not need to maintain this “distance” between themselves.

It is no secret that in Turkey children are treated with extreme care and attention. And the Turks surprise us when they put babies to sleep not on their arms, but on their legs. Instead of carrying the baby on your lap for hours, the child is placed between the parent’s outstretched legs and they stay that way until they fall asleep. This position is considered safer, it also allows the child to sleep faster and at the same time, your hands are free: you can look at the Instagram feed and even have a snack.

Dessert “Woman’s Navel”

There are many dishes in Turkey whose names would make anyone laugh. If you find any of these delicacies on the menu of a Turkish restaurant, be sure to ask, as they are very delicious: Hanım göbeği — “Woman’s navel”; Kadın Budu Köfte — “Female thigh meatballs”; Hünkârbeğendi — “Royalty liked it”; Yegen — ‘Your aunt,’ and so on.

“We love you Katrina”

In Turkey, for some reason, only children’s birthdays are celebrated on a grand scale. Adults are not used to having parties, celebrating the day or giving and receiving gifts. If they decide to celebrate the birthday, it will be something much more restricted to close people and family members. As a general rule, friends and acquaintances can give their “congratulations” through social networks and that will be enough.

Many Turkish women just make a living by cleaning and tidying the house down to the smallest details. And no matter how carefully you wash the floors and walls, Turkish men (more conservative) will find something to complain about. A Russian immigrant, married to a Turk, posted on her blog: “I considered myself a very clean person until I got married, until they stuck their nose in the sink to see if there was any dirt left. When we go to visit my husband’s mom for a few days, each day she starts with cleaning!”

Few people know that the numerous drinking fountains on the streets of Turkey were not installed for convenience, but in memory of deceased relatives (most often parents). In each of these drinking fountains there is a sign indicating the name and surname of the deceased. People are expected to pass by, drink the water and pray for the relative to rest in peace.

The traditional Turkish bathroom is made up of just a hole in the floor, a flushing toilet in the wall and, next to it, there is usually a shower to clean yourself, as many places don’t even offer toilet paper. Today, however, toilets with built-in showers are increasingly gaining popularity. “When my Turkish husband visited my country for the first time, I couldn’t understand what he was looking for so much in my toilet,” — a netizen shared on her Instagram. — ‘He was looking for the shower head to clean himself’.

According to local norms of behavior, to express respect to older people, it is customary to kiss their hand, and then touch it to the forehead. But you shouldn’t do this with people of the same age or younger: it won’t make a good impression.

The desire to “get along”, as well as the extraordinary ability to negotiate, is in the blood of the Turks. People who might want to outmaneuver you, especially if you are a tourist and don’t speak the local language, are street vendors, taxi drivers, shoe cleaners, etc. Most of the professions that many would consider harmless.

One of the most striking characteristics of the Turks is their misunderstanding of the limits of proximity to other people. Paying an uninvited visit is considered normal, even if it is at 8 am or 8 pm. Sitting around all day talking about the neighbors is also normal. Turks may ask questions that would make many people uncomfortable, such as “How much is your salary?” or “Why did your husband cheat on you?”. They also have a culture of touch, both in you and your children. Turks are very interested in foreigners and have great curiosity and genuine desire to meet more people who are “outsiders”.

In Turkey, it is not customary to enter a house wearing shoes. They must be left outside the house: in the hallway on the floor, at the entrance to the building or even on the street. In every Turkish house there are at least a few pairs of shoes for guests to wear when they enter, but you can also bring your own flip-flops. Nobody will be surprised by this.

Which of the characteristics mentioned about the Turks surprised you the most? And what do you think would be the hardest to get used to? Comment!