Christmas wreaths made by housewives exported to over 20 countries
As season’s greetings are just around the corner, some housewives in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya are busy making a large number of wreaths for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Production of these ornaments has become an important industry in Antalya since the 1990s. Now, the wreaths are exported to more than 20 countries, including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, Japan, Canada and China. This year, a total of $10 million in revenue is expected from their exports.
Local firms have started to collect orders in August and the production of these decorative objects by housewives in Antalya continues until the first week of December.
Şerife Altındal works for a company that exports the wreaths. Altındal told state-run Anadolu Agency that around 2,000 wreaths are produced each day.
“Last year, we shipped around 200,000 Christmas wreaths to foreign countries and a large chunk of those deliveries took place in the final months of the year,” she added.
“There is a strong demand for the wreaths produced in Antalya because of their higher quality,” Altındal said.
According to Altındal, “wreath fashion” changes each year. “This year’s popular color is lilac,” she said.
Forest waste such as pinewood waste, pinecones and cypress branches are used to make the wreaths.
She added that the combined revenue from wreath exports from all the companies in the province are expected to hit $10 million this year.
Wreaths are produced at company workshops as well as by women in the villages and in Antalya’s city center.