turkey: 1 post

The Turkish Art of Kolonya or How to Wear Cologne

The sight of a driver bearing a bottle of kolonya on the bus journeys across Turkey has always left me with mixed emotions. They always insisted on waking you up and then drenching you with perfume, whether you wanted it or not. On the other hand, a splash of kolonya always felt refreshing, and I became so used to the ritual that I began to practice it myself whenever I needed a pick me up. Using my Turkish friends’ example, I would pour kolonya generously into my hands, rub and whatever remained, I’d dab over my clothes. Of course, one needs a light, cologne-style perfume to accomplish it successfully, and Turkish kolonya is perfect.

Kolonya comes from the word cologne, and it became popular in the court of sultan Abdülhamit II (1876 – 1909) before taking over the rest of the country. Kolonya supplanted rosewater, which was used in a similar manner, since it was seen as antiseptic and cleansing. Kolonya is still offered to people at the restaurants and cafes. Kolonya is the first thing you’d offered entering a Turkish home, along with a plate of candy. The former is for cleanliness and refreshment, while the latter is for ensuring a sweet conversation, according to one Turkish belief. The kolonya culture is part of an old tradition of hospitality and sharing as well as a reminder that perfume was once valued for its salutary properties.

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