A Circumcision Party

Tonight Umut and I went to our neighbor's circumcision party. I'm sitting here, at midnight, totally exhausted. Tonight was culture overload. Just check out the pictures and videos...you will understand. Hundreds of people. Lots of loud music. Constant dancing. And more Turkish language than my American brain could handle.

2 observations are worth mentioning. First, this family's heritage is from eastern Turkey. So the men were separated from the women and children. All the men wore blue jeans and sat cafeteria-style to chow on food and Rakı (liquor). Meanwhile, the women dressed up in semi-formals, loaded on makeup, and danced the night away; but weren't served any food. :)

The 2nd observation worth mentioning is the 2nd video. The boy, as you will see, is dressed up in a prince uniform, modeling after ancient Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Notice the boy and his parents leading the Turkish congo line as people throw money at him. The money is actually for the band, not the boy! For those who don't want to chunk cash at the kid, you can buy gold coins to pin on the boy (see the picture). Later he and his family cash in the gold coins to help pay for the party.

And for those of you with queezy stomachs; no worries, the boy was actually circumcised at birth. Tonight these virgin Western eyes were spared a bloody Turkish scene.