Roma rely on festive bouquet cash as Turkey’s economy flounders

Colourful kokina heralds the holiday season - and a financial lifeline for those facing runaway inflation and discrimination

When flower vendors put out the red and green kokina on the streets, holiday season has arrived in Istanbul.

Widely believed to have begun as a Christmas tradition of Turkey's Greek community, kokina is made by tying together two different plants that grow in the wild, and looks like a picture-perfect version of holly. Its name comes from the Greek for red.