What’s even stranger is that neither the temperatures declined nor snow fell in Mersin. In fact, the temperature was above 20 degrees that day. Let me explain before you get more confused. It was the sweet touch of ETİ, a manufacturer of biscuits, cookies, crackers and chocolate, that made all of this possible. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, ETİ decided to organize unexpected events in various parts of Turkey. In Mersin, ETİ decided to celebrate its 50th anniversary by surprising children with snow, brought from the Taurus Mountains using a special machine and sprayed over the square, giving children an opportunity to play in the snow in 20 degree weather. Even though the surprise was intended for children, adults enjoyed it just as much.
We used to travel to see snow, but this time it came to us
Müjde Çağınlı, a 30-year-old woman from Adana, said it was the first time she had seen snow in her life. She was either not yet born or still a baby when it last snowed in the city. Friends and family said they had a big surprise, so she took her daughters İrem and Ceren and went to Mersin. She was very surprised to see the square all white. Referring to a song that talks about snow in Adana, she said: “The song ‘It Snowed in Adana’ now holds true for Mersin.” But they don’t really think the warm sunny weather goes with the snow. Laughing, she points to her worn-out flat shoes.
Gül and Temel Kum and their three children were also at the square to play in the snow. They say seeing snow in Mersin was a very different experience but a great opportunity to have fun. “We always go to Tekir Plateau to see snow. This time the snow came to us,” says father Temel Kum. Among the crowds at the square are children who couldn’t wait for school to get out. A fourth grader named Mehmet Top and his sister Zeynep Ece, still in their uniforms, were playing in the snow under the shadow of palm trees. As for us, we are enjoying the scene of people having fun at the square, which we will remember as a happy memory.
50 centimeters of snow in an area of 700 m2
Of course bringing snow to a city that hasn’t seen snow fall in 30 years was no walk in the park. A huge team of 175 people and a two-month-long preparation period were behind the event. The team first used bulldozers to scoop snow from the base of the Taurus Mountains and place it in refrigerated trucks. It took the refrigerated trucks about an hour and a half to reach Barış Square in Mersin, where an area of 700 square meters was filled with approximately 50 centimeters of snow. In addition to snow that was brought by the trucks, snow machines were used to spray snow over the area.
Our surprises will continue
Tuncer Akgün, executive president of the ETİ group of companies, said: “We chose Mersin because it was a province that had not seen snow for 30 years due to its geographic position. Many people in this part of the country have never seen snowfall in the city and never get to experience the joy of playing in the snow. We wanted to take the happiness our products have been offering to people for 50 years beyond the tastes we offer. We wanted to make an impression on our consumers and embrace them by organizing surprising events that give them joy. For this purpose, we set up a 12-person team which we called the ETİ Volunteers for Happiness. This team is going to organize events at unexpected times in various parts of Turkey to surprise and make people happy.
