Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate disavows New Year's celebrations

Duvar English

Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate on Dec. 29 disapproved of engaging in New Year’s celebrations such as decorating Christmas trees and having Santa Claus figures and suits. The Directorate described celebrating New Year’s as “inappropriate attitudes” in the last Friday sermon (“hutbe”) it published. 

The sermon titled “To Live a Life of Introspection” stated New Year’s celebrations “do not have any place in our religion and culture.” It also warned against behaviors forbidden in Islam (“haram”) such as alcohol, gambling, and games of chance and lotteries in the name of New Year’s Celebrations. 

Turkey’s National Lottery Administration regularly organizes a New Year’s Raffle and has allocated over 2 billion Turkish Liras (77 million dollars) for the 2024 draw. 

New Year’s celebrations in Turkey have become more controversial in recent years, with the Education Ministry urging for celebrations suitable for “tradition and customs,” governors’ offices revoking decoration permits.

Tensions rose in a state university in Istanbul when students wanted to guard the New Year’s tree after unidentified people vandalized it. Islamist groups threatened students saying that they could not decorate trees in a “Muslim country.” At another state university, security guards attacked students who wanted to decorate a pine tree for New Year’s. 

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