Turkey and Islamic tradition and rituals are very close knitted. The country, which is majority Muslims, rejoices in every Muslim Bayram (Muslim celebrations). One of these Muslim rituals is the Kurban Bayram or Feast of Sacrifice.
Kurban Bayram is one of the oldest Islamic holidays in Turkey. It takes place around 70 days after Ramadan. What Kurban Bayram celebrates?
It is the celebration of how the prophet Ibrahim proved his obedience to god by agreeing to sacrifice his son, and in return, god sent him a ram to sacrifice instead. So on this day, Muslims sacrifice a ram or a sheep to celebrate.
On the first day of the sacrifice feast, men of each family go to a mosque for a special morning prayer. After which, the sacrifice begins. In some regions of Turkey, the sacrificial animals are adorned with ribbons and henna before being slaughtered. The meat from the sacrifice is shared with the poor and neighbors.
This sacrifice ritual is about charity and community.
It is tradition to visit friends and family on this day. Also, instead of sacrificing an animal themselves, some people prefer to donate to charity, so they can do the slaughtering in their name instead.
If you want to visit Turkey to fully experience the sacrifice rituals, you must visit a rural area. It is very unlikely that the major cities do this in public anymore. On this day, the public offices are closed, and the public transportations will be a bit more crowded than usual.
If you have to do any government related business, like renewing your Kimlik card, do it before the Bayram.
Kurban Bayram is one of the oldest Islamic holidays in Turkey. It takes place around 70 days after Ramadan. What Kurban Bayram celebrates?
It is the celebration of how the prophet Ibrahim proved his obedience to god by agreeing to sacrifice his son, and in return, god sent him a ram to sacrifice instead. So on this day, Muslims sacrifice a ram or a sheep to celebrate.
On the first day of the sacrifice feast, men of each family go to a mosque for a special morning prayer. After which, the sacrifice begins. In some regions of Turkey, the sacrificial animals are adorned with ribbons and henna before being slaughtered. The meat from the sacrifice is shared with the poor and neighbors.
This sacrifice ritual is about charity and community.
It is tradition to visit friends and family on this day. Also, instead of sacrificing an animal themselves, some people prefer to donate to charity, so they can do the slaughtering in their name instead.
If you want to visit Turkey to fully experience the sacrifice rituals, you must visit a rural area. It is very unlikely that the major cities do this in public anymore. On this day, the public offices are closed, and the public transportations will be a bit more crowded than usual.
If you have to do any government related business, like renewing your Kimlik card, do it before the Bayram.