Large-hearted Turkish Couple Feeds 4,000 Syrian Refugees At Wedding Banquet

One couple in Turkey, Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat, threw a sumptuous wedding reception feast for 4,000 Syrian refugees instead of friends and families last Thursday, on the border town of Kilis.

Esra wore a beautiful white dress, with a tiara on her head, while the groom wore a white tuxedo with black trim.

Standing behind huge food trucks, they supervised the distribution of food. They had decided that they would not resort to a lavish banquet, but would feed the "victims of a bloody civil war next door" according to thedailybeast.

"In southeastern Turkey there is a real culture of sharing with people in need ...They love to share their food, their table, everything they have."

The groom's father had given the idea. He works for a Turkish relief organization called Kimse Yok Mu (KYM). For many years, KYM has given food to thousands of Syrian refugees. Approaching a representative of the organization, he suggested that the family should cover part of the cost by feeding the refugees.

"I thought that sharing a big delicious dinner with our family and friends was unnecessary, knowing that there are so many people in need living next door," he said.

His son was quick to agree.

"When he told that to the bride she was really shocked because, you can imagine, as a bride you wouldn't think about this---it's all about you and your groom," says Hatice Avci, the international communications manager for KYM. "In southeastern Turkey there is a real culture of sharing with people in need ...They love to share their food, their table, everything they have. That's why the bride also accepted. And afterwards she was quite amazed about it."

Bride Esra Polat agreed, according to siasat: "I was shocked when Fethullah first told me about the idea but afterwards I was won over by it. It was such a wonderful experience. I'm happy that we had the opportunity to share our wedding meal with the people who are in real need."

On Thursday, they supervised the distribution and took photographs with the refugees. "Hopefully this will also give the start for other wedding dinners to be held here with our brothers in Syria," the groom told local news.

Kilis, whose official population is 108,000, now has 123,000 refugees from their war-torn neighbour. Syrians in Turkey are now 2 million, and in July, the government said that it would build a new refugee camp.

About four million Syrian refugees had escaped from the "worst crisis of its kind in a generation" Almost eight million people are displaced within the country, the UN said, according to thetelegraph.

On Tuesday evening, the couple was happy to have thought of the gesture. "It's like sharing a dinner with your friends and family who have this kind of thing on a daily basis----or sharing something with people who don't even have the most basic things," Avci says.