Kurban Bayrami and other Turkey Local Custom Tips

This year 19-22 January 2006 was celebrated as the Sacrifical Feast (Eid ul-Adha). This festival is celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commoeration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. According to customs, people who can afford to do so have to sacrifice an animal and distribute the flesh to poor people during this festival. It is also common to buy presents for children, visiting people in orphanages, nursing homes....The families come together and eat meat.

Actually the bayram lasts 3 days, but one day before the bayram is called Arife and Arife day is reserved to make preperations for the Bayram (cleaning the home, doing the shopping etc).

As in the Ramadan Bayram, many people in Turkey, travel during the Sacrifical Feast. Therefore you must make your reservations in advance if you are coming to Turkey at that time. Plese keep in minde that there is a heavy traffic in the roads all the time during this period and some restaurants, shops may be closed as well as official places.

Don't be surprised if you see people walking with their herd and trying to sell sheep in unexpected corners of the cities during the Feast

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10th of November is an important date in Turkish history. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (the founder and first president of Turkey) died at November 10th, 1938. On his death anniversary, official cermonies are made everywhere in Turkey.

If you are in Turkey on 10th of November, you can obsorve that Turkish flag is flown at half as a sign of mourning. At 09:05 am you will see siren sound everywhere. Don't panic. It is not a disaster alert. It is the moment when Ataturk's heart stopped beating in 1938. When people hear it, everyone stops whatever they are doing and stands at "respect position". That is to say they hold themselves erect and do not move until the siren ends (it takes 1 minute). That is also something made for the commemoration of Ataturk.

There are statues of Ataturk in every city of Turkey and there are bust statues of him in almost every school garden. On November 10th, early in the morning you can see that the flowers garlands are put to Ataturk Statues in the city centers by local officials, NGO leaders, etc. School children carry red carnations to put the statues.

What do you think? Do you find this much ceremony for someone died 77 years ago crazy? I would like to hear if you have similar ceremonies..

===Who is Ataturk?===
Ataturk is the founder of Turkish Republic. After the First World War, Ottoman Empireship was dissolved, Turkish land was occupied. Turkish people started an Independence War under the leadership of a young general known as Mustafa Kemal. When the war ended with the victor, a new state was founded. Mustafa Kemal became the first president of the new state and he managed to make many reforms in all fields of life. Those reforms created today's modern Turkish state. Ataturk is the name given to Mustafa Kemal by Turkish Natioanal Assembly.

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We have celebrated Sugar Fest at 2-6 November this year. This religous festival is also known as Ramadan Festival at it is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. We celebrate it by eating as much as sweets we can, that is why it is called sugar fest.

Traditionally, on Sugar Fest, like in other religous festivals ('bayram's), people visit their family members and neighbours. It is required to solve all the disputes and quarrels with other people during Bayram. Teh festival lasts 3 days and on the first and second days, the younger people visit older family members and neighbours. Therefore, old people do not go out on the first day of the Ramadan, they wait for the visitors and serve them sweets. In addition to sweets, serving liqueur is very common. It is required to wear nice and clean during bayram visits. The children of the neighborhood ring at the doors in groups and kiss hands of the houseowner to show their respect. In return, they expect pocket-money or candies. I don't know if sugar fest traditions are the same in other Islamic countries, that is Turkish way of celebrating the end of Ramadan. I would like to learn the traditions of other cultures....

Well, the information above was the traditional way...The modern way of celebrating Sugar Fest is going to a vacation in Mediterrenian costs or traveling around Turkey to visit family members living in other cities. Nowadays, most people live in places where they earn money, rather than where they were grown up and their older family members live, therefore the bayram makes a great oppurtunity to see the relatives...and for some it is a great oppurtunity to have a rest in touristic places...This causes too much traffic on roads...and the number of traffic accidents increase considerably in bayram. So, if you are in Turkey during a bayram, i advise you not to go out of the city in which you are in until Bayram ends.

Last word: If you would like to congratulate someone because of bayram you should say: " iyi bayramlar"

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Ramadan is the Holly Month for all Muslims and during Ramadan life changes a little bit in Turkey. You might be in Turkey during Ramadan so, let me explain local customs for Ramadan.

The first question you might want to learn is that "exactly which month is the Ramadan?". Please note that Ramadan is a month in Islamic calendar (lunar calendar) and it does not correspond to a specific month at solar calendar. This year (2005) according to solar calendar, Ramadan starts at October 5th and finishes at November 2nd. Every year the Ramadan begins 11 days before the previous year according to solar calendar because lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar one. So during life time, if a person experience Ramadan in winter during his childhood, he would experience it during in summer when he is grown up. Does it sound complicated? ok. i cut it here.

Next question might be "what is special about Ramadan?". It is considered Holy because Kuran was revealed to Prophet Muhammed durig Ramadan. And it is special because it is mandatory for Muslims to fast during Ramadan. That means eating and drinking NOTHING from sunrise to sunset.

In Turkey, most of the population is Muslim. That does not mean everybody is fasting during Ramadan. Many people are not very strict about obeying the Islamic rules. Still, during Ramadan most people are very careful about not consuming food and drink in open places for being respectful to those who are hungry because they are fasting. Consumption of alcohol also decreases considerably, because drinking alcohol during the Holly month is also considered being unrespectful by many.

The most colorful aspect of Ramadan is IFTAR Meals. At the end of the day, as soon as the sun goes down and evening prayer is heard from the minarets people start eating. It is a kind of funny because everybody starts eating at the same moment in most of the houses and restaurants, cafes...I believe this gives people a sense of solidarity and friendship. You should have an iftar meal to feel it.

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In Turkey, you might be surprised to see some little boys with pompous dresses on the street. It is possible to see them especially on summer, because summer is the "circumcisson season".

Circumcisson is practised in Turkey for religous reasons. Boys are usually circumcised at age 6 or 7. On the day of the event, a circumcisson fest is organized for the boy, the day is considered as an important turning point in his life since he becomes a young man after the circumcisson and for that reason they are dressed in such a pompous way. The circumcisson ceremony is usally made in summer because in the summer the school is closed.

It is a tradition to give him some money, if a circumcission child kiss your hand.

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It is very much likely that you will encounter with oriental (or Turkish) style toilets at gas stations or in some other public places in Turkey. Don't panic. They are not that difficult to use and they are hygenic.

Oriental style toilet consist of a hole in the middle of two platforms to put your feet. You need to squat on the hole to do your business.

You can fill the bucket with water using the tap on the wall and pour it to the toilet to clean it....

If there is no waste busket, put the toilet paper in the hole...

Please remember that in public places toilet paper might not be availale, so bring your own.

Don't worry, in large cities you will find western toilets everywhere. In many places you have both alternatives, so you can use the one you prefer.

If you are looking for a toilet, it might be helpful to remember that every mosques have toilets, you can use them.

You can recognize a toilet when you see "WC" or "TUVALET" (Toilet) words on the signs. You will also see "BAY" (for man) and "BAYAN" (for woman) signs.

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