Holidays hold an important place in the cultural fabric of societies, serving as special times that reinforce the sense of solidarity and unity among individuals.
Experts state that holiday visits are times when people come together to share each other's joys or sorrows, and peaceful moments are reinforced through conversation. They emphasize that these visits play a critical role in spreading the feeling of solidarity and unity within society, strengthening family bonds, and in the social structure of the community.
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak stated that traditional holiday visits provide very significant gains in ensuring intergenerational communication and supporting cultural transmission. She added, “Holiday visits gain meaning through elements such as physical contact, face-to-face interaction, gathering at holiday tables, exchanging gifts, making children happy, and pleasant conversations with elders.”
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak, Head of the Social Services Program at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Health Services Vocational School, evaluated the effects of holiday visits on society's sense of solidarity and unity.
Holidays strengthen social and cultural ties
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak noted that holidays hold an important place in the cultures of societies and, beyond carrying only a religious meaning for people, are times that strengthen social and cultural ties and reinforce the sense of solidarity and unity among individuals. She stated, “Holiday visits are times when people come together to share each other's joys or sorrows, and peaceful moments are reinforced through conversation. These visits are functional in many ways, such as spreading the feeling of solidarity and unity within society and strengthening family bonds, playing a critical role in the social structure of the community. Furthermore, holiday visits build a sense of trust among individuals and support the social harmony of society.”
Families come together through holidays
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak, stating that traditional holiday visits provide very significant gains in ensuring intergenerational communication and supporting cultural transmission, continued:
“Especially as elders share their knowledge and experiences about values, traditions, and cultural heritage with younger generations, young people can also share their life experiences with their elders, creating a mutual space that allows for guidance. Families coming together through holidays, with this mutual communication, ensure the transmission of cultural heritage and values across generations, as well as enabling the more effective teaching of past experiences and traditions to younger generations. Furthermore, the gathering of family members on such important days, the creation of crowded environments, and the presence of many generations together allow them to connect with the past and remember family history, thereby establishing a connection with family roots.”
Viewing holidays as short breaks reduces holiday visits
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak explained that modernization dynamics and urbanization processes have brought about significant changes in the frequency and form of holiday visits. She stated, “Individuals living in cities struggle to perform traditional holiday visits due to factors such as work intensity, distance, and time constraints, and may perceive holidays as short breaks. On the other hand, the transformation of families into nuclear family structures with urbanization, and the differentiations in relationships with elders, can also be seen as a reason for the decrease in holiday visits in terms of individuals' social lives. Furthermore, while holiday visits usually take the form of crowded gatherings where extended families come together, factors such as loneliness and individualism brought by modern life can lead to such collective activities losing their importance compared to the past.”
Can video calls replace traditional holiday visits?
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak stated that today's technological capabilities, especially video calls and messaging applications, allow family members at long distances to communicate during holidays. She emphasized that while this may seem like an alternative to holiday visits, it cannot fully replace traditional visits. Çaylak said, “Holiday visits gain meaning through elements such as physical contact, face-to-face interaction, gathering at holiday tables, exchanging gifts, making children happy, and pleasant conversations with elders. Although technological tools facilitate communication with family members and loved ones, they offer an experience that cannot be compared to traditional visits in terms of warmth and sincerity.”
Awareness should be created emphasizing the importance of holiday visits
Assistant Professor Dr. Melek Çaylak, stating that some measures should be taken as a society, concluded her words as follows:
“To strengthen family bonds, increase intergenerational communication, and preserve cultural heritage, awareness campaigns should be created emphasizing the importance of holiday visits. Furthermore, to sustain the tradition of holiday greetings and visits, and to counter the intensity and distance barriers brought by modern life, a balance should be found between conducting holiday visits physically and digitally when physical visits are not possible, thereby strengthening communication and togetherness. The tradition of holiday greetings holds a very important place not only in the past but also in preserving the social fabric of society. As holidays are times when people show their love, respect, and attachment to one another, it is crucial to continue holiday visits and show sensitivity to enable society to keep its spirit and cultural identity alive.”
