Turks celebrate New Year with various events across country
ISTANBUL
Citizens in many parts of the country, especially in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and western province of İzmir, have welcomed the new year with various events, while a group of people in the southern province of Antalya celebrated the arrival of the new year by entering the sea at a temperature of 10 degrees.
In Istanbul, large groups gathered in several squares of the city to celebrate the new year.
The Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue, which are frequented by domestic and foreign tourists every New Year’s Eve, became the favorite location for people this year as well.
In the first minutes of the new year, the fireworks display from different points of the Bosphorus were met with great interest from the citizens. Citizens in the Kuzguncuk district entered the new year by watching fireworks shows, while the fireworks show on the Bosphorus in Istanbul created colorful images.
Citizens in Ankara celebrated the new year in the Kızılay Square, one of the busiest spots of the province.
Those in the square welcomed the first minutes of 2023 by dancing and singing. Vehicles on the roads and streets accompanied the celebrations by sounding their horns. Citizens held celebrations amid the inspections of law enforcement officers.
The officers allowed the citizens to enter the squares after a body search within the scope of the security measures.
Thousands of people filling the Gündoğdu Square in İzmir entered the new year with the concert performed by famous pop singer Gülşen.
The group of 25 people, who call themselves “Those who swim both in the Summer and Winter” in Antalya and include people from various professions such as teachers, engineers and businessmen, continued the tradition of seeing in the New Year by entering the sea this year.
The group celebrated 2023 by entering the sea with an air temperature of 10 degrees.
In Palandöken in the eastern province of Erzurum, one of the leading ski resorts in the country, people who skied holding torches created captivating landscapes.
Citizens who prefer to spend the New Year in entertainment centers in the eastern province of Elazığ welcomed in the new year by dancing. Those showing great interest in other entertainment venues in the city, especially hotels and cafes, said hello to the new year with confetti and fireworks shows.
People gathered in the largest square of the northern province of Trabzon counted down from 10 to enter the new year, while some citizens celebrated the new year by playing “kolbastı,” the traditional folk dance of the province.
