A very Turkish Tradition
All countries, cultures and religions have their traditions, rituals which are passed down from generation to generation, and whilst maybe not as relevant today, hark back to a different time when they were especially important.
One tradition you see among many rural Turkish farmers is the practice of bequeathing a number of olive trees to each of their children on their birth. The number is undefined, but it is usually the same number to each sibling, independent of whether it is girl or boy. They may be given by the parents or grandparents, but are designed to stress the continuity of the family through the trees, which may last for centuries.
These may be newly planted olive trees, but are more usually established trees which are already producing fruit and hence olive oil. The symbolism is that the children will never want for either the fruit of the tree or the oil produced from it, and if the number of trees bequeathed is substantial then it provides the child with a small income annually as they are growing up.
It is a tradition we in the Keskinoglu family wholeheartedly agree with. Each of our three children have been given a group of olive trees as their birthright, and it is from these trees that we present to you Dunya, Biricik and Fevzi’s olive oil. They get the income from the sale of their oil, and from that give a donation to their favourite charity. We believe it encourages responsibility and the pact humans have with nature