Happy Thanksgivng everyone!
Many of you have expressed concern, so let me put your fears to rest: we do indeed celebrate American holidays in Turkey. I have the good fortune(?) of working for an American-owned school,
so we were given the day of Thanksgiving off from school and held a grand feast in the main reception hall of the school for all the American teachers and staff, their families, and curious Turks and miscellaneous others seeking a good meal. We lit the fireplace in the staff lounge, ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, and celebrated the holiday in traditional style.
Not all of my Turkish colleagues knew the origin of the holiday; in fact I have been asked to explain it to the student body at the flag ceremony on Monday, so I was compelled to do some research to back up the apocryphal stories told to me by teachers and relatives since I was a child.
Apparently, the earliest recorded Thanksgiving dinner was not at Plymouth Plantation in 1621 as most of us have been led to believe, but in 1565 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Dates and places aside, the Turks I know were most interested in the aspect of the holiday involving a harvest feast, something with which they could easily relate (especially those from the farther reaches of Anatolia, where the harvest is still a special time of year).
In a way, Muslims have their own version of a Thanksgiving: the Sheep-Slaughtering Holiday(Festival of Sacrifice-my students call it the Sheep-Sacrificing Holiday). That is our next major holiday break, for which we will be given a week off from school, the second week in December. Interestingly, this holiday is based on the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at Yahweh's behest, so it ties together three of the world's religions in one! Ah, the holidays, a time to gather us all together...even if it means shedding a little blood!
Happy Holidays All, whatever your beliefs may be.
Many of you have expressed concern, so let me put your fears to rest: we do indeed celebrate American holidays in Turkey. I have the good fortune(?) of working for an American-owned school, 
Not all of my Turkish colleagues knew the origin of the holiday; in fact I have been asked to explain it to the student body at the flag ceremony on Monday, so I was compelled to do some research to back up the apocryphal stories told to me by teachers and relatives since I was a child.
Apparently, the earliest recorded Thanksgiving dinner was not at Plymouth Plantation in 1621 as most of us have been led to believe, but in 1565 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Dates and places aside, the Turks I know were most interested in the aspect of the holiday involving a harvest feast, something with which they could easily relate (especially those from the farther reaches of Anatolia, where the harvest is still a special time of year).
In a way, Muslims have their own version of a Thanksgiving: the Sheep-Slaughtering Holiday(Festival of Sacrifice-my students call it the Sheep-Sacrificing Holiday). That is our next major holiday break, for which we will be given a week off from school, the second week in December. Interestingly, this holiday is based on the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at Yahweh's behest, so it ties together three of the world's religions in one! Ah, the holidays, a time to gather us all together...even if it means shedding a little blood!
Happy Holidays All, whatever your beliefs may be.
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