Eid Al-Fitr, known as "Ramazan Bayramı" in Turkey, will be celebrated on the 13th of May. Ramazan Bayramı is one of the two religious holidays in Turkey. It is celebrated after the month of Ramadan in which Muslims supposed to fast(oruç tut-) for a month. That's why it is called "Ramazan Bayramı" in Turkey. The Ottoman name of Ramazan Bayramı was "Iyd-ı Fıtır" which could be translated to "Fitre Bayramı".
Fitre is a "charity" or an "almsgiving" that is given to the poor by those who can afford it. This charity is also called "Şükür sadakası" which brings up a discussion on the name of this beautiful holy day.
Ramazan Bayramı vs. Şeker Bayramı
According to some historical resources, the word "şeker" in Şeker Bayramı derives from "şükür" and people call this eid as Şeker Bayramı. Some other resources claim that this name comes from the tradition of giving little children candies and dates during the eid.
These two versions of names even caused political discussions as one side claims that the name "Şeker Bayramı" detract from the religious feelings of the day. Whereas the other side claims that, the change of the name is an etymological shift and that has nothing to do with religion. They also claim that this day is not celebrated in the month of Ramadan, but it is actually celebrated in the month of Shawwal.
How is it celebrated?
Just like in all the other counties, in Turkey, families get together to celebrate the eid. The eid starts right after the Eid prayer that occurs in the morning. In some villages, right after the eid prayer, the people of the village get in a queue to celebrate everyone's eid. (You can see an example of it from the movie "Düğün Dernek" in this scene.
After the eid prayer, young people visit their elderly and children celebrate it by kissing the top of the hand and put their forehead on it as a sign of respect. The elderly usually respond to it by giving "money" or "sweets" to the child. There is also a tradition where children visit the houses in their neighborhood in a group to collect sweets from the families which is a "treat or treat" version of "trick or treat" as there is no other choice than treating. Some people benefit from the technology to celebrate everyone's Eid with a mass message which, I believe, also kills the spirit of the eid. Cem Yılmaz, tells a gig about the situation as these messages are usually poems that are similar to each other.
You can find some examples of these poems through this link: Maniler
Turkish people love to eat desserts and chocolate during the eid. People usually buy boxes of chocolates when they are visiting a house. Some families treat their guests with baklava, çay and cologne.
In Eid, married couples also get into a funny discussion on whose family should be visited first. İlker Gümüşoluk summarizes this situation in a funny video.
There are a few ways to celebrate someone's eid. Here are the common phrases that you can use:
İyi bayramlar.
Hayırlı bayramlar.
(Ramazan) Bayramınız kutlu olsun.
(Ramazan) Bayramınız mübarek olsun.
İyi bayramlar!
Resources:
Vikipedi
Baklava photo by: @Lisa
Youtube videos:
First video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6Gzgd_Qmo
Second video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUs36mSFx0A
Third video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAUA43Kqjx4
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