Turkish Holiday:

Official holidays

Jan 1: New Year's Day

National holidays

Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish Grand National Assembly)

May 19:Atatürk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day ( the arrival of Atatürk in Samsun, and the beginning of the War of Independence)

Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922).

Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)

Religious holidays

Seker Bayrami:Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of Ramadan. Also known as Ramazan Bayrami.

Kurban Bayrami: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the poor.

The dates of these religious festivals change according to the Islamic calendar an thus occur 10-11 days (exact difference between Gregorian and Lunar calendars is 10 days and 21 hrs) earlier each year.

Beverages

Although the majority of Turks profess the Islamic faith, alcoholic beverages are as widely available as in Europe. However, some Turks abstain from drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan. There are a few local brands of lager such as Efes and a large variety of international beers that are produced in Turkey such as Skol, Beck's, Carlsberg and Tuborg.

There are a variety of local wines produced by Turkish brands such as Kavaklıdere, Doluca, Kayra and Pamukkale which are getting more popular with the change of climatic conditions that affect the production of wine. A range of grape varieties are grown in Turkey. For the production of red wine, the following types of grapes are mainly used; in Marmara Region, Pinot Noir, Adakarası, Papazkarası, Semillion, Kuntra, Gamay, Cinsault; in Aegean Region, Carignane, Çalkarası, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet; in Black Sea Region and eastern part of the country, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere; in Central Anatolia, Kalecik Karası, Papazkarası, Dimrit; in Mediterranean Region, Sergi Karası, Dimrit. As for white wine, the grapes can be listed as follows; in Marmara Region, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillion, Beylerce, Yapıncak; in Aegean Region, muscat and semillion; in Black Sea Region, Narince; in Central Anatolia, Emir, Hasandede. In addition to mass production, it is quite popular to produce wine in private farms and sell them in the locality. Visitors can find different "home made" wines in Central Anatolia (Kapadokya/Cappadocia region - Nevşehir), Aegean coast (Selçuk and Bozcaada (an island in the Aegean Sea)).
Rakı, is a usually anise-flavored apéritif that is produced by twice distilling either only suma or suma that has been mixed with ethyl alcohol in traditional copper alembics of 5000 lt volume or less with aniseed. It is similar to several kinds of alcoholic beverages available in the Mediterranean and parts of the Balkans, including pastis, sambuca and ouzo. In the Balkans, however, raki refers to a drink made from distilled pomace, similar to Italian grappa, Bulgarian rakia, Greek ouzo and tsipouro, Cretan tsikoudia, Cypriot zivania,French Pernoud and Spanish orujo.

In Turkey, raki is the unofficial 'national drink' and it is traditionally drunk mixed with water; the dilution causes this alcoholic drink to turn a milky-white colour, and possibly because of its colour, this mixture is popularly called aslan sütü or arslan sütü, both literally meaning "lion's milk" (aslan and arslan also mean strong, brave man, hence milk for the brave men).

Non-Alcoholic beverages

At breakfast and all day long Turkish people drink black tea. Tea is made with two teapots in Turkey. Strong bitter tea made in the upper pot is diluted by adding boiling water from the lower.

Ayran The ayran is made of a mixture of water, yogurt and salt. Usually the ayran is drunk more in the summer because it is a cold drink. But the Turks also drink ayran in the winter. Ayran is white and its consistence is creamy. This drink is very healthy and can be drunk by the meal.
Boza The boza is a typical Turkish drink made by triturated chickpea, some cinnamon and sugar. This drink is creamy, yellowish color and usually drank in winter. In summer it is almost impossible to find boza. Boza is sold by street sellers in the winter nights. The salespersons walk through the streets screaming boooozaaaa. Boza sale is a tradition in Turkey. Boza is drunk separately and you should not drink it during your meal (served cold with cinnamon and sometimes with leblebi).
Sahlepahlep is another typical turkish drink. It is a mixture of a special powder called sahlep that is sold in the supermarkets and milk. Before serving they spread cinnamon over it making the drink more attractive. The powder of Sahlep is made with a mixture of different spices, and its flavor is unic. Sahlep is hot creamy drink, drank in coffee shops and tea gardens in winter all around Turkey. Usually it is drunk alone, but if the person wants to eat something, a pie or cake would be a good idea. Sahlep is a traditional drink and it was also served at that time of the Ottoman empire.

Turkish coffee is a world-known coffee which can be served sweet or bitter. In Turkish, there is a saying that emphasizes the importance in Turkish culture of offering a cup of coffee to someone: "a cup of coffee has a 40-year consideration". It should also be noted that although Arabs call their coffee Turkish coffee, it is different in aroma and taste from the classical Turkish coffee.

Turkish cuisine

Taken as a whole, Turkish cuisine is not homogenous. Aside from common Turkish specialities which can be found throughout the country, there are also region-specific specialities. The Black Sea region's cuisine (northern Turkey) is based on corn and anchovies. The southeast—Urfa, Gaziantep and Adana—is famous for its kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as baklava, kadayıf and künefe. Especially in the western parts of Turkey, where olive trees are grown abundantly, olive oil is the major type of oil used for cooking.The cuisines of the Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean regions display basic characteristics of Mediterranean cuisine as they are rich in vegetables, herbs and fish. Central Anatolia is famous for its pastry specialities such as keşkek (kashkak), mantı (especially of Kayseri) and gözleme.

The name of specialities sometimes includes the name of a city or a region (either in Turkey or outside). This suggests that a dish is a speciality of that area, or may refer to the specific technique or ingredients used in that area. For example, the difference between Urfa kebab and Adana kebab is the use of garlic instead of onion and the larger amount of hot pepper that kebab contains.

Breakfast
A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (beyaz peynir, kaşar etc.), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, reçel (jam/marmalade; a preserve of whole fruits) and honey. Sucuk/sujuk (spicy Turkish sausage), pastırma, börek, simit, poğaça and even soups can be taken as a morning meal in Turkey. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called menemen which is prepared with roasted tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, black tea is served at breakfast.
Eating out
Although fast food is gaining popularity and many major fast food chains have opened all over Turkey, Turkish people still rely primarily on the rich and extensive dishes of the Turkish cuisine. In addition, some traditional Turkish foods, especially köfte, döner and gözleme are often served in fast food style. Eating out has always been common in large commercial cities. Esnaf lokantasi (meaning restaurants for shopkeepers and tradesman of small scale) are widespread, serving traditional Turkish home cooking at affordable prices to both locals and tourists.
Summer cuisine
In the hot summer, many Turks prefer to have a lighter meal with summer vegetables and fruits. A summer meal is usually made up of fried vegetables (aubergines, potatoes, courgettes, green peppers) served with yogurt or tomato sauce, sheep's cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, melons, and summer helva which is lighter and less sweet.

Oils and fats
Butter or margarine, olive oil, sunflower oil and corn oil are widely used for cooking. Kuyruk yağı (tail fat of sheep) is used mainly in kebabs and meat dishes. Sesame, hazelnut and walnut oils are used as well.
Use of fruit
In the Turkish cuisine, the combination of fruit with meat was quite frequent. Plums, apricots, apples, grapes, and figs are the most frequently used fruits (either fresh or dried) in Turkish cuisine. For example, komposto (compote) or hoşaf (from Persian, literally meaning, nice water) are among the main side dishes to meat or pilav. Dolma and pilaf usually contain currants or raisins. Etli yaprak sarma (vine leaves stuffed with meat and rice) used to be cooked with sour plums in Turkish cuisine.
Eggplant
Eggplant (aubergine) has a special place in the Turkish cuisine. It is combined with minced meat in karnıyarık. As a speciality of eastern Turkey, there are patlıcan kebabs, such as Tokat Kebab, a specialty of Tokat province or Antep's eggplant kebab. In a number of mezes, side-dishes or main dishes, including şakşuka, eggplant salad (a meze prepared with garlic and/or yoghurt), patlıcan dolma, patlıcan beğendi (eggplant purée/dip) and moussaka, eggplant appears to be the major element.
Meats
Milk-fed lambs, the most popular source of meat, have a very low yield today. For example Kuzu çevirme (meaning cooking the milk-fed lamb by turning it above fire) which was once upon a time an important ceremony can not be seen anymore. In some regions, meat which was mostly eaten only at the wedding ceremonies or during the Kurban Bayramı (Eid ul-Adha) as etli pilav (pilaf with meat) became a part of the daily diet after the introduction of industrial production. Veal, which was usually shunned, became widespread. However, the main use of meat at cooking is still putting minced meat into vegetable dishes, thus attaining names such as kıymalı fasulye (bean with minced meat) or kıymalı ıspanak (spinach with minced meat which is almost all times served with yoghurt). Alternatively, in coastal towns, cheap fish such as sardines (hamsı) is widespread. Combining meat with vegetables or rice or putting meat in soups or in Turkish salty pastries börek or gözleme is typical.

Turkish Bath

The bath clogs that were worn on the feet were carved out of wood in special shapes and decorated using various techniques. Being quite high off the floor, they ensured that the bather's feet never came into contact with the soapy water. Bath clogs with silver bells accompanied the sashaying bodies of the young women with a pleasing tinkle. The most sought-after combs, whether coarse- or fine-toothed, were those made of ivory, which were plated with silver and gold. Thin bath towels (pestamal) were woven in plaid designs. After women had undressed in the bath, they covered their bodies below the breasts with these towels. Bath towels were adorned with various types of embroidery. After bathing, women wrapped themselves in these towels, the biggest one around the waist, the middle-size one around the shoulders and the smallest around the head. The highest-quality towels were woven in Bursa . After the hair was toweled dry and combed, a gauze-like white 'tülbent' was wound round the head to absorb any remaining moisture. When one went to the bath, a bath mat was spread on the floor. This was a towel-type textile, with a red square on a white field and red stripes around the edge. Bundles were placed on it, and the bather stood on it to get undressed and dressed.

 

And also many things for typical turkish but our pages not enought for explain all of here.