RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS IN TURKEY

Although we don’t celebrate Noel,we muslims have two religious festivals celebrated on different days every year,generally ten days earlier than the year they were celebrated before.The reason for this is that these festivals are calculated according to lunar calendar.We also other religious days but they are not considered as feast but as days or nights during which people say their prayers.

One of these festivals is the Ramadan Festival or Feast.It lasts for three and a half days.Half day is The Eve,during which people do a very through cleaning,some shopping.Families usually buy new clothes for themselves and their children. One of the main characterisitics of these religious festivals is that people visit eacher other,their friends and their neighbours.Turkish delight,baklava,kadayıf or other kind of Turkish sweets are served

If small children visit the old ones,they kiss their hands and they get their best wishes and blessings for their future life and are granted money or a handkerchief full of candies and small presents.Grandparents sometimes give their grandchildren small gold ornaments depending on their financial status.

Ramadan Hoilday is different from the feast of sacrifice.It comes after the fasting month,during which people don’t eat nor drink anything from sunrise to sunset.Just before the Ramadan holiday begins, people give money to the poor:The amount of the money is calculated every year by the Ministry of Religious Affairs that’s why Ramadan month is called The Month of Sharing and Affection’Some men go to mosques early in the morning

During the Feast of the Sacrifice,not only candies but also the meat of sacrificial animal are served to guests. ln some regions of Turkey rams are washed, painted with henna and are dressed up with bridal ribbons. After the ram is sacrificied,families and relatives and sometimes neighbours gather together to have lunch prepared by the meat of the sacrificied animal.One-third of the meat from the sacrificed animals is left in the house. The other parts are given to relatives neighbors and the poor. Both during Ramadan and the Feast of the Sacrifice people come together, celebrate and entertain each other.