Russians in new year Marmaris meet
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 16, 2009 00:00
MARMARİS - Russian women married to Turkish men celebrated their new year with a party at Antik Restaurant in Marmaris. All married to Turkish men, women complained that their husbands staid away from such events.
Nearly 30 Russian women took part in the Russian New Year party, celebrated on Jan. 13, according to Russian tradition
Becoming more worried each day that their cultural heritage will be forgotten, many of the wives organize events of these kind to come together and teach their children about both Russian and Turkish culture.
Their first aim was to bring together their children in a social atmosphere and teach them about Russian culture. The children seemed quite happy to wear colourful costumes for the party, as their mothers tried to explain to them the Russian way to celebrate Christmas. With the appearance of the "Ded Moroz" (the Russian name of Santa Claus) and his grand-daughter "Sneguroçka," the real party started for the half-Turkish half-Russian kids. They all started to dance and sing along to Russian songs.
Traditional poems, songs, stories and finally gifts were exchanged among themselves. All the Russian mothers were taking photos of the occasion, particularly of the children crowded around Ded Moroz. Everyone seemed to appreciate this opportunity to remember and celebrate their Russian hereditary.
Vera Oral, the organiser of the party, said their first meeting would not be the last one and they would carry to meet more as Russians women living in Marmaris.
"We have happy moments or sad times to share with each other. Of course, if any of us has a problem, the others would be happy to help. Also, we have a rich culture. Our aim is to teach our children Russian culture beside the Turkish culture." Oral said.
Another Russian woman at the party, Olga Kesmen, explained her gratification with this first get-together of Russian women. "In Russia we are used to celebrating New Year with songs, parties, and other funny things. Now, here in Marmaris we are happy to be celebrating in a similar way for the first time. I hope we will do more for our kids in the following years."
The common wish of the Russian women was to get a consulate service from the Russian authorities some time in the not to distant future, both for themselves and for the large number of Russian tourists to Marmaris in the summer months.
Becoming more worried each day that their cultural heritage will be forgotten, many of the wives organize events of these kind to come together and teach their children about both Russian and Turkish culture.
Their first aim was to bring together their children in a social atmosphere and teach them about Russian culture. The children seemed quite happy to wear colourful costumes for the party, as their mothers tried to explain to them the Russian way to celebrate Christmas. With the appearance of the "Ded Moroz" (the Russian name of Santa Claus) and his grand-daughter "Sneguroçka," the real party started for the half-Turkish half-Russian kids. They all started to dance and sing along to Russian songs.
Traditional poems, songs, stories and finally gifts were exchanged among themselves. All the Russian mothers were taking photos of the occasion, particularly of the children crowded around Ded Moroz. Everyone seemed to appreciate this opportunity to remember and celebrate their Russian hereditary.
Vera Oral, the organiser of the party, said their first meeting would not be the last one and they would carry to meet more as Russians women living in Marmaris.
"We have happy moments or sad times to share with each other. Of course, if any of us has a problem, the others would be happy to help. Also, we have a rich culture. Our aim is to teach our children Russian culture beside the Turkish culture." Oral said.
Another Russian woman at the party, Olga Kesmen, explained her gratification with this first get-together of Russian women. "In Russia we are used to celebrating New Year with songs, parties, and other funny things. Now, here in Marmaris we are happy to be celebrating in a similar way for the first time. I hope we will do more for our kids in the following years."
The common wish of the Russian women was to get a consulate service from the Russian authorities some time in the not to distant future, both for themselves and for the large number of Russian tourists to Marmaris in the summer months.