Etiquette of the Sultan’s Punch

Neither the Sultan nor any of the officials present had a drop of wine. None was on the table, nor was any handed round except to unbelievers. The claret, however, was so good that my husband could not resist asking the Grand Master of Ceremonies, ‘Who tasted and chose the wine for the Imperial table?’…” — Image source of a beautiful Art Nouveau claret jug, Twitter

In Max Muller’s honor the Sultan gave him a dinner. Of course,  Max Muller was not invited, but the lady, in her ‘‘Letters From Constantinople,” describes it, and the little incident how the Sultan drew the line between wine and punch is amusing: “Nobody spoke except the Sultan, whose conversation with the ambassador was most animated, though carried on entirely by an interpreter. My husband, not knowing the Turkish etiquette, began to talk French to his neighbor, but received such very short answers that he, too, relapsed into silence. The Sultan, who had evidently seen this, beckoned to Munir Pasha, who whispered something to the ministers of war and marine and began to talk very pleasantly, encouraged by a look from the Sultan not to mind such a breach of etiquette. 

“Neither the Sultan nor any of the officials present had a drop of wine. None was on the table, nor was any handed round except to unbelievers. The claret, however, was so good that my husband could not resist asking the Grand Master of Ceremonies, ‘Who tasted and chose the wine for the Imperial table?’ He shrugged his shoulders, as though he would say, ‘You can guess. ’ One of the items of the menu was punch. It was iced punch, smelling so strongly that everyone could perceive the alcohol in it, but neither the Sultan nor any of his guests were afraid of it. It was called punch, and punch is not forbidden in the Koran.” — San Diego Union and Daily Bee, 1897

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

19th C. Turkish Royal Court Debuts

Depiction of a 16th C. Turkish bride being taken to her wedding.

A COURT RECEPTION IN TURKEY

In Europe, social life is diversified by Court receptions, the opera, the theatre, balls, dinner-parties, garden-parties, rides and drives, walks, shopping, church-going, and foreign travel. All these have their counterpart more or less true or grotesque in Turkey. Take first Court receptions. These, it is true, are rare, but they are very magnificent when they do occur. The grandest was that held in 1863 at the fete of the circumcision of Youssouff Izzeddia Effendi. As this was a public occasion, answering to our Court drawing-rooms, the wives and daughters of all the great Pashas were obliged to present their congratulations in person to his Majesty; and, the strictest rule of all Turkish etiquette being for the time superseded by another even more stringent — no woman, whatever her rank, dare veil her face in the presence of the Commander of the Faithful.

I leave it to the imagination of those ladies who have undergone the ordeal of preparing a train and a curtsey for our own Court, what anxious cares were bestowed on ugly green and garnet-colored satin gowns, puffed pantaloons to match, on huge wadded paletots worn over the dress, and on French satin shoes. But, above all, the head-dress was the most difficult to arrange, many of the ladies having short-cropped hair. Everything depends on the set of the hótose or coiffure of colored silk gauze, and on the blaze of the jewels affixed to it; crescents of diamonds, aigrettes of diamonds, sapphires and rubies, pearls almost the size of strawberries, pear shaped diamond ear-rings as large as hazel nuts, or coronets resembling old-fashioned Imperial Crowns. Moreover, the head-dress must be most firmly attached, for, as with us, a Court débutante has to exercise herself in the most graceful manner of bending low before Royalty; there a lady has to practice how she may best advance demurely with a long square train passed between the feet, drop suddenly on her knees, dip her forehead three times to the ground, kiss the hem of the august personage's keurk, or furred robe, if that happens to be worn at the time— and after all this, retreat with good grace, and with out losing her jeweled cap at the feet of her Imperial Sovereign. 

Some of the younger married ladies were courageous enough to adopt the European corsage combined with Turkish train and trousers; but the most authoritative of all were three young khanuns who appeared in white Court dresses made in faultless Parisian style, trimmed with wreaths of white roses gemmed with dew, and very simple coiffures to match. These youthful Princesses looked altogether lovely, and when they advanced up the crowded presentation-chamber, they excited murmurs of admiration; they also saluted the Sultan by a deep courtesy only, he standing; but on passing to where the Validé Sultan was seated near her son, they made to her the customary acknowledgments. His Majesty was evidently much charmed by the grace and dignity of the sisters, and showed them marked attention by insisting that they should be seated— a sign of condescension and respect not extended to any other lady present. The Validé humored her son's whim, saying to the oldest of the young Princesses, while patting her on the shoulder, and motioning her to be seated on the low cushions beside her, “Come, my child, come! Be welcome. Sit beside me.”— Cornhill Magazine, 1876

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia © Etiquette Encyclopedia

Turkish Etiquette and “Iced Punch”

Although alcohol is considered haram (prohibited or sinful) by the majority of Muslims, a significant minority drinks, and those who do often outdrink their Western counterparts. Among drinkers, Chad and a number of other Muslim-majority countries top the global ranking for alcohol consumption.– Washington Post, 2018 

“Max Müller, was a German-born philologist and ‘Orientalist,’ who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He was one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of study of religions.”– Source and photo Wikipedia 

“In Max Müller’s honor, the Sultan gave a dinner. Of course, Mrs. Max Müller was not invited, but the lady, in her ‘‘Letters from Constantinople,” describes it, and the little incident, and how the Sultan drew the line between wine and punch is amusing: ‘Nobody spoke except the Sultan, whose conversation with the Embassador was most animated, though carried on entirely by an interpreter. My husband, not knowing the Turkish etiquette, began to talk French to his neighbor, but received such very short answers that he, too, relapsed into silence. The Sultan, who had evidently seen this, beckoned to Munir Pasha, who whispered something to the Ministers of War and Marine and began to talk very pleasantly, encouraged by a look from the Sultan not to mind such a breach of etiquette. 

Neither the Sultan, nor any of the officials present, had a drop of wine. None was on the table, nor was any handed round, except to unbelievers. The claret, however, was so good that my husband could not resist asking the Grand Master of Ceremonies. ‘Who tasted and chose the wine for the Imperial table?’ He shrugged his shoulders, as though he would say, ‘You can guess.’ One of the  items of the menu was punch. It was iced punch, smelling so strongly that everyone could perceive the alcohol in it, but neither the Sultan nor any of his guests were afraid of it. It was called punch, and punch is not forbidden in the Koran.” – San Diego Union and Daily Bee, 1897

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

19th C. Turkish Etiquette

In the past, what was known as Constantinople, is modern day Istanbul. It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1923. 

Etiquette at Constantinople

Court etiquette, degenerating into ease even in Spain, seems still to hold its own at Constantinople. The Paris Journal thinks that the following anecdote of the celebrated pianist Leopold Mayer throws some light upon the hot water into which M. de Vogue, the French Embassador to the Porte, lately fell, it is not easy, according to Mayer, to perform in the Seraglio. You must arrive by 8 o'clock in the morning to perform at 3:00. You must be in full dress. You wait seven hours in a very beautiful gallery, where sitting is forbidden. From time to time you are told what his Highness is doing. " His Highness is just risen." You must prostrate yourself accordingly. "His Highness is going to take the bath." You prostrate yourself again. "His Highness is dressing." Once more you prostrate yourself. ''His Highness is taking coffee," and you prostrate yourself at each of these details of information, and each time more respectfully than before.

At last they bring the piano, but they have removed the legs, in order not to injure the mosaic work of the floor The grand piano is supported on five Turks! The poor fellows are on their knees, bent down and crushed by the enormous weight! But by objecting to play on a piano a cinq Turcs they only think you mean that the instrument is not level. They take a cushion aud place it under the knees of the smallest Turk. They do not suspect that a sentiment of humanity forbids your playing. You are obliged to explain this delicacy of civilization, and the process is long.

At last they place the piano on its real legs, and the Sultan appears. After all sorts of salamaleks, they order you to play. You ask for a chair. There is no chair. It is forbidden to sit in the presence of his Highness. Now a pianist without a chair is in even a more awkward position than an embassador who must not sit down. One must do at Rome what Rome does, and M. de Vogue has been merely taught that the same proverb is true of other places than Rome. But it is clear that a man who cannot stand a great deal — in many senses — is not fitted to be a representative of any kind at Constantinople. -1872

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia