Festivals, Holidays and Celebrations

There are two types of holidays in Turkey: Milli Bayramlar (Festivals that mark the victories during the independence war after the WWI) and Dini Bayramlar (Festivals  that are related with religious traditions; namely, Ramazan Bayrami and Kurban Bayrami).

Ramazan Bayrami, also known as Eid-al Fitr, is celebrated at the end of Ramadan for 4 days. During Ramazan Bayrami, all family members get together, elderly are visited and little children are given candies. Whenever you visit someone’s home during Ramazan Bayrami, you can be assured you will be served some home-made baklava.

Kurban Bayrami, aka Eid-al Adha, is the commemoration of profit Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail for God. Traditionally, this festival is celebrated by most of the Turks and is the second major national holiday. During this festival, an animal is sacrificed and most of the meat is given to the poor, needy and the neighbors. Families and relatives gather and cook the meat all together while enjoying this celebration.