American personnel in İncirlik warned against fake ‘wedding dollars’

ISTANBUL

The 'wedding dollars' often thrown at people dancing at Turkish weddings often turn out to be fake. DHA Photo

U.S. personnel on İncirlik Air Base in Adana have been warned on the Air Base’s official website to be cautious of fake “wedding dollars” widely used in the city.

The topic of the week on the website’s forum page, where U.S. personnel can seek answers for questions, concerned the dollars thrown to newlywed couples.

“Sometimes, people receive fake ‘wedding dollars’ as change in various places both on and off base. You should always check your money to ensure you receive real dollar bills,” wrote the editor of the site, warning staff about the tradition.

“If you go to a Turkish wedding party, you will see the guests throwing paper money onto the heads of people dancing. This is an old tradition whose real purpose has been lost. Many years ago, musicians used to play in wedding ceremonies free of charge. Now, although wedding musicians are paid well enough for their service, the old tradition still continues. The smallest Turkish banknote is five Turkish Liras, but a U.S. dollar bill is about two liras. Thus, throwing a dollar bill costs less and for that reason the U.S. bill is popular for wedding ceremonies,” the editor added.

These dollars sometimes turn out to be fake, however. “As always, folks of questionable moral character try to take advantage of that tradition and print fake bills and sell them for a much cheaper price,” the editor also wrote.

The word “invalid” is printed on both sides of the fake wedding bills, and “geçersizdir,” meaning "invalid" in Turkish, is printed on one side of the fraudulent money.

Wedding musicians in Adana, unhappy with the use of fake dollars, raised the issue in protests last year. Adana Wedding Hall Association head Ercan Yavuz said many musicians depended on the money thrown on stage to make a living.