Santa Claus Museum in Turkey to Attract Newlyweds and Tourists
BalkanTravellers.com
Known as Noel Baba in Turkey, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker who serves as the prototype for Santa Claus, was born in 270 AD in Patara, a city west of Myra (Demre, in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey).According to national media, the travel agency is already organising wedding ceremonies for foreigners in the church-museum.
Last year for the first time, Saint Nicholas’s birthplace hosted an international wedding festival. This year, it will take place again between December 1 and 7, when 25 couples are scheduled to take their vows.
At the end of last year, Turkey announced that it would be formally requesting the return of Saint Nicolas’s bones, which in the eleventh century were taken to Bari, from the Italian government. Turkish authorities have cited the fact that Saint Nicolas himself wanted to be buried at his birthplace. They also claim that his remains were illegally removed from Turkey.
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A Perfect Shot
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excellent smugs