Today in 1920s Turkey: 2 January 1927 (Santa: Deliverer of Gifts AND Love Letters?)

(Illustration, Papağan or “Parrot,” 2 January 1927, no. 192, page 3.)

English
Man: What is this disgrace? I find a love letter that fell from your pocket in front of the fireplace?
Woman: Don’t fret, darling, Father Christmas is just teasing you!

Türkçe
Erkek: Bu ne rezalet?.. Şöminenin önünde cebinden düşmüş bir aşk mektubu buldum?
Kadın: Üzülme, yavrum, seninle Noel Baba alay etmiş!

Comments:
Around the New Year references to Noel Baba or Father Christmas (aka Santa Claus, aka St. Nicholas) abounded in 1920s print media in Turkey. His character and visual appearance was adopted wholesale from Euro-American sources while the holiday that he was traditionally associated with (i.e. Christmas) was modified to be the secular New Year. Like his physical attributes, the general mythology surrounding Santa’s practice of giving gifts and his methodology of miraculously delivering these presents via the chimney was also borrowed as the dialogue below the image makes clear. Indeed, when the woman’s husband finds a love letter in front of the fireplace this becomes the detail that connects the letter to Santa’s unannounced intrusion. But of course, Santa never visited this woman, and like a parent shamelessly lying to their child about a supernatural gift-giving saint, the woman attempts to pull a fast one on her naive husband...

While this illustration does not include the likeness of the generous saint, a few previously discussed works do feature the iconic figure. These examples can be found in posts #42 (Justice: A Gift for the New Year) and #45 (Istanbul’s Request for the New Year). Cartoons acknowledging the arrival of the New Year without the Santa character also exist and can be viewed in posts #47 (A New Alphabet for the New Year) and #133 (A Choice for the New Year).

This article has been updated and modified from its first iteration published right here on Steemit on 2 January 2017. For the original version see:
46. Today in 1920s Turkey: 2 January 1927 (Santa: Deliverer of Gifts AND Love Letters?)