Türkiye My Love: Eid Traditions - Eid Al Adha Kurban Bayramı

Turkey joyfully welcomes Eid al-Adha

This year,Monday is/was the first day of Eid al-Adha, Islam's most important four-day religious holiday during which millions in Turkey travel to spend time with family members and loved ones.

After the Eid prayer, performed on the first day of the Eid, animals are slaughtered as a reminder of the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael to God as an act of obedience and submission. The holiday is also when Muslims able to do so go on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Eid al-Adha is seen as a time of year when Turks actively socialize and reunite with friends and family, creating a positive atmosphere across the country with solidarity between relatives, neighbors and society at large, with communities not forgetting the needs of the poor and less fortunate even at this joyful time. It is a time of giving and sharing.
Eid al-Adha is also a day of remembrance for those who are no longer with us, with many visiting the graves of deceased relatives and loved ones over the holiday.
Common greetings during this holiday are the Arabic greeting "Eid mubarak," (May your Eid be blessed). Turks and Muslims living in areas where the Ottoman presence heavily influenced local customs say "Bayramın mübarek olsun" during Eid, also meaning "May your Eid be blessed."
Muslims put on their best clothes, called "bayramlık" in Turkey, often purchased just for the occasion. They visit loved ones and pay their respects to the deceased in cemeteries.
Young ones kiss the right hand of the elderly and press it to their forehead as a gesture of respect. Guests are offered perfume and traditional sweets such as baklava and lokum (Turkish delight) as well as meals cooked with the meat of the animal sacrificed by the family. Young visitors are typically offered a small amount of money.
Television and radio stations broadcast a variety of Eid programs, including movie specials, music programs and celebratory addresses from stars and politicians.
Turkish leaders' Eid messages emphasize solidarity and peace
Politicians on Sunday issued holiday greetings messages to mark Eid al-Adha. President Abdullah Gül in his message said: "Once again on the occasion of Eid al-Adha I see it as beneficial to emphasize the importance of everyone loving and understanding each other and showing respect for each other's values. We need to get rid of our prejudices and unite under common values for the future of Turkey."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his message said: "We should not forget that what renders us strong is the solidarity of our people and their unshaken loyalty to our national unity. What has saved us from heavy troubles and made us one of the most dynamic countries of the world is our desire to be a nation. Such festivals are the most beautiful examples of this emotional unity. In this regard, it is very crucial to keep such traditions alive."
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal also issued a message on Sunday in which he said he hoped for festivals when Turkey's territorial integrity, national unity and the secular republic are not under threat. "With this, I sincerely wish the Muslim world a happy Eid al-Adha and convey my deepest love and regards to all."
In his message to mark Eid al-Adha, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoğlu urged everyone to make sure that their sacrificed animals were slaughtered by skilful butchers and reminded them of the need to treat the sacrificial animal with compassion while preserving environmental hygiene.
Officials have warned drivers to be more careful when driving during the Eid vacation, saying roads and highways will be more crowded than usual. They noted that the number of casualties in traffic accidents significantly rises during these vacations, calling for greater attention and full compliance with traffic regulations. Drivers are particularly being cautioned to avoid drinking and driving as well as speeding

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Last minute bargain prices make buyers happy
On Sunday, the eve of Eid al-Adha, animal sellers who traveled to large cities to sell sacrificial animals did so at very reasonable prices. Sellers who did not want to pay to transport the animals back to their village sold them at prices customers demanded. An animal seller, İmdat İnci, brought 60 cattle from Giresun, sold 54 and complained that he did not make sufficient enough profit.

Relatives visit soldiers' graves on eve of holiday

On the eve of Eid al-Adha, many people flocked to cemeteries to visit the graves of Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with terrorists.
Eid is an occasion of remembrance for loved ones who are no longer with us. Relatives of many fallen Turkish soldiers visited cemeteries on the eve of Eid al-Adha to tend to the graves of their loved ones and pray for their souls.
The mother of Pvt. Ahmet Er, who was killed in clashes with terrorists of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 1992, visited her son's grave in Edirnekapı Martyrs' Cemetery, so that her loved one would not be alone on the eve of Eid. Shedding tears next to her son's grave, Fatma Er condemned terror and terrorists. "May God flush out all terror and terrorists. We have been enduring great suffering since the death of my son. There is no greater loss than the loss of a child," she said.
Nuray Yaylan -- the mother of Mehmet Yaylan, who was shot to death by terrorists in southeastern Şırnak province in 1996 -- spent the eve of Eid al-Adha in the Edirnekapı cemetery as well. "I am at the grave of my son. Here is his house. I am planting flowers for him. It was my son who used to bring me flowers, but I now bring flowers to him. My husband died of cardiac failure due to the sorrow of the loss of our son. My pains are renewed when I hear about the martyrdom of other soldiers," she stated.