Colors of Marmaris - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Rug making is a widely known ethnic craft which is rather illustrative of ethnic peculiarity of local people. The so called rug making craft appeared many centuries ago. Today the handmade rugs are most sought after souvenirs the tourists striving to bring as a memorable gift from Marmaris. Colorful rugs with intricate ornamental design and original geometrical pattern are one of the brightest ethnic symbols. Notable is the fact that contemporary masters and craftsmen of rug making are still making rugs by hand.

The price for handmade rugs is rather high as the creation of a single rug absorbs a master for several months. The awesome rugs are primarily made of goat hair and lamb wool which are also spun by hand. Setting off to one of the local markets to hunt some memorable souvenirs, tourists should keep in mind an important tradition of bargaining – before making a purchase one should necessarily try to reduce the price for goods in a way of bargaining which is considered to be a unique ceremony.

Another impressing ethnic feature of local people is their passion to coffee. They take the process of coffee making rather reverently. The culture of Marmaris particularly and of the country in general does not know the notions of instant coffee or dry coffee extract as these do not exist at all. The city is totally deprived of vending machines selling coffee in the streets which are rather popular in European cities. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Coffee has become an essential part of local culture. Coffee making process is a genuine sacramental ceremony which can be mastered far not by all people. Coffee is considered to be not a daily drink but a genuine healing potion curing from some diseases. Another passion of local people is hookah smoking. The hookah is enjoyed by all local people but kids. The hookah is present in every house. Hookah smoking is offered in all local restaurants as well.

Hookah smoking is considered to be one of the main pleasures which religious people are allowed and can afford. Cigarettes are on the contrary taken rather skeptically by local people. They consider smoking in the street and especially in motion to be rather useless and senseless occupation. Each house features a special room for hookah smoking. This room is designed for guests meeting and events holding. Hookah is as well a renowned ethnic souvenir.

Another national feature of the local people is their love for bright holidays. This is confirmed by the fact that the resort city hosts colourful events throughout the year, during this period of time Marmaris is visited by hundreds of fans of event tourism. The end of April is the time of the world-famous Turkey Maritime Festival, where visitors have the opportunity to see hundreds of beautiful ships from all over the world. Moreover, you should definitely book a thematic tour with diving, surfing and other water activities, for tourists-regatta and competitions. The venue of the event, as you might guess, is the picturesque promenade of the resort town “Neutsel Marina”.

The middle of May is marked by the International Yachting Festival, which, in addition to the demonstration of luxury yachts, offers visitors to listen to beautiful music concerts of locals and visit performances of artists and bands. And all this takes place on the open-air platform, which is equipped on the same waterfront Neutsel Marina. The event program, in addition to musical performances and yacht shows, includes a regatta, rowing competitions, an exhibition of art related to the underwater world, as well as tasting seafood and fish dishes. Fest is one of the most popular events among tourists and locals, and not only due to the colourful events.

There is another significant event in the world of water sports at the end of October, it is the event called Marmaris International Race Week, which is one of the largest in the Mediterranean region. A race on luxury yachts will amaze any tourist — and even someone who has seen this kind of event before. In addition to a large-scale regatta with more than one hundred and fifty luxury vessels, visitors of the festival will have a great opportunity to see live performances of musicians, and those who want to buy a yacht will be able to do it at an unusual fair. The regatta begins with the picturesque Harbor of the city of Neutsel Marina — as you can understand, this is one of the most popular tourist destinations.

Not only colourful regatta and water sports attract people to Marmaris —but cinema also takes an important part in the hearts of the locals. So, at the end of June, film fans visit the town in order to get to Marmaris Cinema Festival, where you can watch films of various genres-from comedy to drama. Those who love short films prefer to come here on holidays during another festival in the town-Marmaris International Short Film Festival, the time of the event falls at the beginning of October. You can not only watch the newest movies in the city’s cinemas but also enjoy watching a movie on the open-air platform at the Neutsel Marina — which is very popular with romantic natures.