Guesting and Hospitality Culture in Migrant Homes in Sakarya

Sakarya is a multi-layered settlement area that has hosted various waves of migration throughout its historical process. Communities arriving from the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Black Sea regions have brought with them their daily life practices and cultural habits. In this context, hospitality and hospitality culture emerge as significant indicators of identity, belonging, and social relations in migrant homes in Sakarya.

Migration is not merely a physical relocation process; it also entails the transfer of cultural elements to new spaces. The migrant communities settling in Sakarya have continued the hosting guests understanding they brought from their past, and these cultural practices have been transmitted from generation to generation through domestic arrangements, table-setting customs, and the variety of offerings.

In migrant homes, hospitality is regarded not only as a social visit but also as a sign of respect and acceptance. It is understood that preparing the table for guests is seen by the household as a responsibility, and offerings are presented in the best possible manner according to the household’s means. This practice carries the meaning of honoring the guest within the family circle.

In migrant homes in Sakarya, the culture of offering is largely shaped through home-made foods, that is, traditional flavors. The table is arranged to ensure the guest’s comfort, and the sequence and presentation of offerings follow specific behavioral patterns. These practices are not merely about eating habits but also serve to make cultural identity visibly manifest.

The culture of hospitality and offering persists through learned and transmitted behavioral patterns, independent of any physical structure. These cultural practices are preserved through repetition in daily life and have reached the present day through intergenerational transmission.

The hospitality and offering culture observed in migrant homes in Sakarya is an important cultural heritage element carried through migration and re-created in new spaces. These practices play a decisive role in organizing social relations within domestic life and contribute to cultural continuity. In this sense, the understanding of hospitality and offering can be regarded as an integral part of Sakarya's’s multi-layered cultural structure.