Photo By Senior Airman Jenna Bond | Mehmet Birbiri, 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs host nation advisor, showcases gifts...... read more read more
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Muslims will celebrate the end of Ramazan with the Sugar Festival. The festival, or “bayram” that lasts 3 ½ days starts at noon Saturday, March 29, and ends on Tuesday, April 1.
The sugar Festival is a national religious holiday. Although the shops, markets and streets will be crowded on Saturday while people do their last-minute shopping, schools and government offices are closed during the festival.
Religious festivals are family-oriented and you won’t see any rallies or public entertainment gatherings.
There are many traditions surrounding this celebration.
One is to wear new outfits. Parents get new clothes for their children, and many children are excited about wearing their new clothing on the first day.
Besides the children wearing new clothing, the first day has great importance.
Everybody wakes up early, and men go to the mosque the special Bayram Prayer. After the men return from the mosque, family members dress up and begin visiting their elders’ homes and exchange gifts.
Bayram visits are kept to 15 to 20 minutes, because there are lots of people to be visited—elders, neighbors and friends. Cologne is offered to the visitors first to refresh the air and wipe the hands and face. Then candies, chocolates or beverages are given to the visitors. Turkish coffee or tea is also offered during those visits.
If you visit Turkish friends, a box of candy or chocolates would be an appropriate gift. “bayraminiz kutlu olsun.” (bye-rah-meh-nehz koot-lou ohl-soon), meaning “I wish you a happy bayram,” is the greeting during bayram.
People also visit the graves of deceased family members, mostly on the eve and first day of the bayram.
People who cannot visit their friends and family members in other towns and cities used to send cards celebrating each other’s festival. But now, SMS messages or direct phone calls replaced cards.
Children love bayram visits and would like to visit as many elders as they can, because they give pocket money to the children. Children collect the money and usually spend it at an amusement park set up in almost every town during the festival.
Money or gifts are also extended to apartments building doormen, trash collectors and Ramazan drummers.
Another tradition observed by the Turks during the festival: boys born during the bayram are mostly given the name of “Bayram.” Just like giving the name of “Ramazan” if they are born in the month of Ramazan.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2025 04:39 |
| Story ID: | 493649 |
| Location: | INCIRLIK AIR BASE, ADANA, TR |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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