Turkey celebrates Ramadan Feast as month-long fasts end

Muslims in Turkey along with other Muslim populations around the world are preparing to celebrate the Ramadan Feast on July 17, as the day marks the beginning of a three-day holy period in Islam as well as the end of a 30-day fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

All three days of the Ramadan Feast, from July 17 to July 19 this year, are national holidays in Turkey, while the status of Ramadan Feast Eve, which falls on July 16 this year, as a holiday remains unclear.

All public and private employees are off duty during the feast although street sellers, shops and a number of businesses remain at work, as people tend to shop more to buy gifts for their family, friends and relatives.

Most Muslims have fasted during Ramadan, eating only between sunset and sunrise, when there is no sunlight, which is considered a religious duty and essential in the Islamic faith.

During the holy month, also, municipalities across Turkey have held mass iftar dinners, a daily fast-breaking meal joined by those who break their fast after sunset.

Most recently, thousands of Muslims and Christians in Turkey gathered for an iftar dinner on July 15 in Gökçeada, an Aegean island district in the northwestern province of Çanakkale, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The iftar dinner organized by the Gökçeada District Municipality was attended by around 3,000 people, who enjoyed a concert and a performance by Soufi whirling dervishes.

Gökçeada District Mayor Muhittin Gürel said Gökçeada was a place where different cultures live together. “It is not a unity that can only be seen at tonight’s iftar, but in all times of societal life on the island,” he said.

As July 17 marks the first day of the feast, Turkish political leaders have also delivered their Ramadan wishes and warm messages, addressing the people of Turkey and the world.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his wish for a Ramadan Feast which would unify the people of Turkey as one. “We are celebrating the Ramadan Feast at a time [when] crucial developments are happening both in our region and the rest of the world. I wish the Ramadan Feast would unify the people of Turkey as one body,” he said, in a message delivered on July 16.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said people should be hand-in-hand in solidarity and peace during the Ramadan Feast. “Let’s salute each other, our neighbors, those we see outside, those we are angry with, those who think differently and have different point of views. Two people saluting each other make wishes of peace for each other,” said Davutoğlu in his Ramadan message, adding the people of Turkey should be unified for a bright future.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu wished the Muslim world a happy Ramadan Feast, saying Turkey represented a hope for the Muslim world with its secular, democratic and social state structure and its history of democracy. “Democracy is nothing but living together in peace instead of the polarization of society. It should not be forgotten that a politician should not divide and discriminate between one and another, but rather unify and reconcile,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ also delivered their Ramadan messages, saying, “Feasts are the times people forget hatred and enmity, but rather embrace each other with friendship.”

“The peaceful theme of the feasts should be in every walk of life and this has vital importance for living in harmony and equality. We wish the entire Muslim world a happy Ramadan Feast,” they said.
July/17/2015
Sugar Feast or Şeker Bayramı – the End of Ramadan
The Sugar Feast (Şeker Bayramı or Eid ul-Fitr) is the three day festival following Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr is the Arabic name of this religious holiday. Eid meaning “festivity” and Fitr meaning “original nature.” It refers to the restoration of one’s best human composition and the celebration of the end of the thirty days of fasting during Ramadan.

Bayram is the term used in Turkish for holidays celebrated nation-wide, both official and religious. There are two terms in Turkish for this holiday. Ramazan Bayramı (Ramadan Feast) takes its name from the Ramadan. Şeker Bayramı (Sugar Feast) comes by courtesy of the special and mostly sweet food served to visitors.

What Does Şeker Bayramı Mean for the Locals?

During this three day celebration the flow of life changes drastically. For locals it means holiday since schools, government offices, banks and even the private establishments are closed for three and a half days starting from noon the eve (arife) of the holiday. Arife is the day to get ready for the holiday.
People clean their houses, they go shopping for candies and chocolate, they prepare traditional pastries like baklava, get a haircut and perform similar personal maintenance. It is important to look dashing with recently, special for the occasion purchased clothes. This attire is called bayramlık.
It is strictly forbidden to fast the first day of the holiday, so a light breakfast is recommended as a sign of not fasting that day. Then, as a prophetic tradition, the obligatory charity (Sadaqat-ul-fitr), is paid to the poor and the needy. Afterwards, the men perform the Bayram (Eid) prayer in their neighborhood mosques. The rest of the three days people visit relatives and friends, and may also go to the graveyards to pay their respect to the deceased.
During the Sugar Feast it is important to honor the elderly; therefore mostly the younger generation visit the older ones. Kissing the right hand of the elderly and placing it on the forehead is a custom to show respect and greet them for the bayram. People greet each other by saying Bayramınız Kutlu/Mübarek Olsun, meaning “May Your Feast Be Blessed”.
One of my personal favorites of the Sugar Feast is the tradition of children going around in their neighborhood, from door to door and wishing people a happy bayram. As a reward, they receive candies, chocolates, or even a small amount of money. It makes the streets even busier with cheerful gangs of kids running around, counting their revenues.
How Does the Sugar Feast Affect Tourists?
The first day of the Sugar Feast museums, archaeological sites and monuments are closed, yet they are usually open on the second and third day. However, they may be busier than any regular day thanks to the special lower holiday admission fees for locals.
As for shopping, most shops and shopping malls in Istanbul are open during the holiday, just like any other day. Except for the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. Beware, shopping malls tend to be busier a couple of days before bayram because of the Sugar Feast excitement and preparations.

The main feature of both Kurban Bayramı and Şeker Bayramı is the reunion of families and friends. So, locals tend to travel a lot, which makes tourists face even more traffic. Beware that public transportation like buses, city line ferries or sea buses operate on holiday timetables. To make things worse, during bayram they often operate for free, which makes them even more crowded than usual. Also note that both the Atatürk International airport and the Sabiha Gökçen airport are most likely to be even busier than usual, since many locals use the time off as an opportunity to travel for holiday purposes.
The tradition of illuminated mosques during Ramadan continues during the Sugar Feast, which completes the festival atmosphere of the city.

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