The Urtürken and Tannenbaum.

Tinsel and lights everywhere: In Istanbul are also conservative Muslims from the global Christmas mood contagious. Especially as the festival fir eh an invention of the Urtürken is, says the researcher renitente Altertum Muazzez Ilmiye Cig.
  After Christmas you need men in Istanbul not long to seek. They are found on the most famous shopping street of the city, the "Istiklal Caddesi. Translated that means: The "road of freedom" (or independence), which is a euphemism is smooth. There are shopping stress, 365 days a year, is here all year gedrängelt.
On the edge of the flood never abreißenden people, specifically in front of a mosque, is Hakan. He is Losverkäufer. And Santa Claus. He carries a three-day beard, a robe with retting Bommel belt and hat and screams good mood "25 million lira!" in the crowd. So much (about 12.5 million euros) which can be in the drawing of lots on New Year's Eve win, then what the people with power on the TV monitor screen.
Hakan is Muslim. Cultural doubt on Weihnachtsmann-existence, he has none. His costume, he has at the bazaar in Eminönü bought for 50 lira. There, he says, there are also small Faltbäumchen plastic and dancing Santas, the bubbles produce. And plush dogs with Santa Claus hat, the "We wish you a merry Christmas" sing. Would be unthinkable to have been a bit earlier, say the people. Devil stuff in the eyes of Strictly believers. Meanwhile, the Christmas holiday in Turkey, but so much of its Christian content resolved that even conservative Muslims tinsel and lights as a "seasonal decoration" get into the house.
Altertum researcher: Tannenbaum is Turkish invention
The festival is only on New Year's Eve? as well as the Christmas tree simply "New Year's tree" is, "Yilbasi agaci". And why the excitement, one might wonder if the cult of the holy fir sowieso basically a Turkish invention? This woman claims that Muazzez Ilmiye Cig. The renitente 93-year-old is ancient scholar and never embarrassed to big words. A few years ago, she caused a sensation with the statement that the Muslim headscarf in pre-Islamic times of the temple have been taken into whores.
Now, Ms. Cig the origins of the Christmas tree in the Central Asian steppe have identified. A long time ago, so she writes, huldigten where the ancestors of the Turks a God, whom she called Ulgen. This God wore a long beard and a long coat, and he lived in a glittering palace in the sky. Reaching the palace was possible only through a huge tree, which the center of the earth to the stars stood. Ulgen order for the winter solstice, who directed him to Urtürken every year on 23 December is a big party from.
Now Ulgen somehow had their prayers. So the people beschmückten a tree with small loops, each loop symbolized a wish. And then they invited their relatives that sang and danced around the tree. A custom, the later the Huns on their Kampfrössern brought to Europe, where he soon took over the Christians.
An interesting theory. At least Losverkäufer Hakan could enjoy. It would be much more than just an employee of the state lottery. It would be a genuine avant-garde, a champion for the renaissance of the holy tree.