Even without the looming shadow of last year’s New Year’s Eve attack by an Islamic State (IS) follower on a popular nightclub in Istanbul, this year's celebrations will be far from happy in Turkey. All street celebrations have been banned in the Taksim district, the heart of Istanbul, as well as Besiktas and Sisli. While it is possible to tie the bans to security concerns, how does one explain the removal of New Year’s street decorations in the chic district of Sisli, famous for its high-end street parties? Engin Bas, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, tweeted, “Is there a terror threat against the new year ornaments and lights?”

As in the past few years, Islamist newspapers have dedicated interviews, columns and entire sections to Christmas and New Year's, in particular reasons for not celebrating the latter. The Religious Affairs Directorate resumed its usual December sermons decrying alcohol and gambling as “dirty deeds of the devil” and warning Muslims against “temptation,” a thinly veiled reference to New Year’s Eve celebrations. Handouts from diehard critics opposing celebrating on the last night of the year have also surfaced around most Turkish cities as usual.

Those who like celebrating New Year's Eve are nonetheless determined to make a good time of it, if not on the streets, then at home. The hashtag #EnGuzelYilbasiEvdeKutlanir (roughly “The Best New Year’s Eve Celebration Is at Home) has circulated for the last few years and has begun trending again among socialites in major Turkish cities.

Celebrating at home marks a change in habit for residents of Turkey’s major cities. They would rather go to pubs, nightclubs and restaurants, where they would pay large amounts of money for a traditional Turkish dinner and some music. Tourism agencies specializing in New Year's packages at a popular ski or coastal resort tend of course to be high-priced, but often disappointing, with groups of strangers at huge venues trying to have fun into the wee hours of the morning of Jan. 1.