Christmas, marked annually on Dec. 25 in the Christian world, is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Well, did you know that the very divinity of Jesus Christ and many other doctrines of Christianity were decided on in the First Council of Nicaea, which was held in A.D. 325 in the city of Nicaea, which is located in present-day Iznik, Türkiye? Convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, Nicaea was chosen as the location for the council to address theological controversies within the Christian community, particularly the Arian heresy, which questioned whether Jesus Christ was as divine as God the Father. The decision was made that he indeed was; thus, the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was solidified in the Nicene Creed.

Santa Claus born in Türkiye

The figure of Santa Claus has its roots in the legend of Saint Nicholas, a Christian bishop, born in Patara in A.D. 280 who lived in the fourth century in the area that is now Demre, Türkiye. Saint Nicholas was known for his acts of kindness and generosity, particularly toward children and the poor. Over the centuries, stories and legends about Saint Nicholas spread throughout Europe, and various cultures developed their interpretations of this figure. Patara is where Saint Nicholas spent his youth and Demre, formerly referred to as Myra, is where Saint Nicholas served as a bishop with a church bearing his name and now where his grave lies.

Decorating trees

While many cultures worship and decorate trees, many historians pinpoint the beliefs of Tengrism and their winter solstice holiday called Nardugan as likely the first example of decorating trees as a form of celebration. Referred to as Göktürkler, Tengrism was a belief system among the civilization that lived in Anatolia that predates the arrival of major world religions like Islam and Buddhism. Their winter solstice (Dec. 21) celebration, referred to as Nardugan, involved decorating and honoring trees. Today, the Turks continue to display some of these traditions, such as making wishes and tying colorful and shiny pieces of fabric on trees as symbolic of their intentions.

X-Mas is not celebrated

Despite all of the significance that Anatolia holds for Christianity, including where the Virgin Mary lived and where the Apostles traveled, Christmas is not celebrated as a national holiday in Türkiye. Life goes on as normal on Dec. 25.

Turks call New Year’s Eve ‘Noel’

In a strange twist of fate, while Christmas is not celebrated, New Year’s Eve is, and in Türkiye, it is referred to as "Noel," which usually infers Christmas and can thus cause a lot of confusion. So, here in Türkiye, "Noel" is the name attributed to the celebrations that take place on Dec. 31 to usher in the New Year. While Christmas is just an ordinary day here in Türkiye, New Year’s Day is now an official holiday.

Decorating for New Year’s Eve

While Christmas is not celebrated in Türkiye, many cities and towns put up holiday-themed decorations equipped with Santas, reindeer, Christmas trees and other festive items. Admittedly, it can get confusing but know that in Türkiye, if you happen to see any symbolism representing the Christian holiday of Christmas, for Turks, it represents New Year’s Eve and has absolutely no religious significance.

Turks dine on turkey for Noel

The confusing holiday symbolism continues as in Türkiye, a growing tradition is to feast on a roasted turkey on New Year’s Eve. While many luxury hotels will also offer a turkey roast buffet on Christmas Day for visiting foreigners, nearly every major hotel and restaurant will do the same for Turks on New Year’s Eve. A steadfast tradition here in Türkiye for New Year’s Eve is to go out to a restaurant or hotel for a blowout feast and musical performance and to dress to the nines to attend them.

Turks gift-give for New Year’s Eve

Another new tradition here in Türkiye is giving gifts to celebrate the new year. While not strictly practiced and certainly not outside of the major cities, there is now a tradition of family members and close friends exchanging small gifts on New Year’s Eve. A quirky custom is to gift a pair of red undies as there is a superstitious belief that wearing red to ring in the New Year will bring good luck and fortune in the coming days. Red pomegranates hold that same symbolism for Turks, who will gift, eat and smash them in front of their door, all to usher in prosperity, health and happiness in the coming year.

Christmas cards do not exist

In the Western world, and especially in the United Kingdom, sending Christmas cards to friends and family is a major part of the Christmas holiday tradition. Customarily, dozens of cards decorated in holiday symbolism will be gifted to one another in the days leading up to Christmas, and these cards are then displayed on shelves, countertops or hung up on strings. In Türkiye, not only does this tradition not exist, but one would also be very hard-pressed to find a Christmas card to purchase.

Istanbul’s churches with Masses

While Christmas is not widely celebrated in Türkiye, many of the historical churches in Istanbul will indeed hold multiple Masses on Christmas Eve and in different languages. Istanbul is home to some of the most amazing churches in the world, such as the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua, located off of Beyoğlu’s Istiklal Avenue that holds masses open to everyone and has candles visitors can light and make wishes while doing so, which has also become a tradition that even Turks will partake in.