Culture is the totality of material and spiritual values that a society has developed over the course of history and passed down from generation to generation.
These values include the following:
Language…
Religion and belief systems…
Traditions and customs…
Art and literature…
Moral codes…
Lifestyle and way of thinking…
In short, culture is a shared body of knowledge that determines how people think, live, and interpret the world.
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Culture is the totality of unique material (architecture, clothing, objects) and spiritual (language, belief systems, traditions, art) values produced by a society over the course of history and passed down from generation to generation. Culture, an identity element that distinguishes a society from others and shapes its way of life and thinking, also determines people’s interactions and their perception of the world, according to UNESCO.
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I didn’t make any of these up!
I copied them from two different sources!
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Prime Minister Ünal Üstel attended the eco-day event in the village of Komi Kebir last weekend and said, “… People who cherish their culture will endure!”
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A very accurate observation!
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Our culture…
For instance, our language…
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The “LANGUAGE” of the Turkish Cypriot community—or as brother Ünal put it, the “Turkish Cypriot people”—is, of course, Turkish…
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Yet, this Turkish is “… produced through a historical process, passed down from generation to generation, and it is unique to itself!”
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And my brother Ünal is one of the most vivid examples of this!
Ünal Üstel is a brother of ours who speaks the dialect of the Mandria village in the Paphos region of the Turkish Cypriot people…
And the fact that he still speaks this dialect is not a situation to be ‘mocked’, as some of us often do, but rather a dialect to be ‘proud of’…
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I’ll take myself out on a stroll!
Hellim cheese! [Editor’s note: the author is giving examples of how this dialect differs from standard Turkish]
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The two statements I just wrote aren’t even nonsense; I think it’s worth mentioning that!
Also, I consider it my duty to tell every fool who says “Cypriots are lazy” to “get lost, you guello”! [Editor’s note: reference to a viral video where a Turkish content producer and former casino manager, Serdar Tavus, argues that Turkish Cypriots are lazy. Guello is a slang term, used by Turkish Cypriots for someone who is considered 'slow', and/or 'stupid'.]
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Religion and belief systems are also among the most important aspects of culture…
Praise be to God!
We are Muslims!
No problem!
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However, must every Muslim necessarily become a Muslim in the way some Muslims in Turkey want them to be?
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In Cyprus, religious beliefs have developed in an extremely free, or secular manner, and no one—absolutely no one—has the right to interfere with another person’s freedom of belief and worship!
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The current situation and direction are, from this perspective, extremely ‘bad’ and constitute a ‘clear violation of the cultural fabric!’
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What did Kul Nesimi say?
“… The pieous have declared it haram / This wine of love / I pour and I drink it / The sin is mine—what does matter to anyone?”
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Our traditions and customs may, of course, resemble those of Anatolia—or they may not…
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Our foods are the same!
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But seftalia, halloumi, tsamarella, and halitzia are mine!
I don’t know about lahmacun!
I eat it with pleasure, but whether it’s Armenian, Lebanese, or Turkish—I don’t get involved!
I say “bon appétit” to whoever eats it!
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Yogurt is Turkish!
Yet, Europe and the world know the “Greek style” better!
I absolutely love yogurt; I’m also crazy about anari!
By the way, who does anari belong to?
That’s ours too!
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I don’t drink raki!
I don’t get involved with those who drink raki!
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I’m crazy about zivaniya!
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The Scots will be upset, but I put ice and water in my whiskey, and drink it with my meal!
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What did my brother Ünal say?
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“Let’s stand up for our culture!”
“If we do, we’ll survive!”
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I agree, bro!
Otherwise, we’ll surrender to the lovers of turnip juice! [Editor’s note: turnip juice is a savory drink that accompanies raki, upon preference]
I’m sorry!
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Or, even more sadly, how painful it is to have to go to Paphos, Larnaca, or Lefkara just to eat seftalia at tables without turnip juice, steeped tea, and raki!
This article was originally published on 04.05.2026
Source: OUR CULTURE!
