Seker Bayram
While my nephews were dressing up as Superman and The Thing and trick-or-treating on Halloween, Turkish children were anxiously awaiting the start of Seker Bayram. Seker Bayram (translated as "sugar holiday", and pronounced "sheker bayram") is the holiday that marks the end of Ramazan (Ramadan in Turkish).
During the month of Ramazan, in which it is believed that the Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed, many Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. For the most devout, this means that nothing, no food, no water, no toothbrush (!) may pass their lips. The purpose of fasting is to feel what it is like to go hungry, to give those who participate a sense of self-control, to cleanse the body, and to become closer to God. After sunset, those fasting (and there are many Muslims in Turkey who choose not to fast) break their fast with a special dinner called Iftar. There is a real celebratory feel to the air, and people spend these dinners with friends and family. Some people wake up early, at 3 or 4 am, to eat a meal before sunrise.
The celebratory feeling is very apparent at the Blue Mosque, which is one of the most famous mosques in Turkey. During Ramazan, outside the Blue Mosque are little booths selling food (which is mainly eaten after sunset), cotton candy, toys, books, and other such goodies one might find at a fair. Lights are strung between the minarets, and people come from all over Turkey.
Seker Bayram, on the other hand, is sort of like Easter at the end of Lent. It is a time to eat candy, eat during the day, and celebrate the completion of Ramazan, regardless if you fasted. Traveling on the very last day of Ramazan before the Iftar dinner that marks the beginning of Seker Bayram, is akin to traveling in the U.S. on Thanksgiving-- in other words, it is an adventure. To get to my final destination, which was a friend's summer home across the Sea of Marmara, I had to take a subway to a bus to a dolmus (special taxi) to a ferry to another dolmus to a car. All this with what seemed like the entire city of Istanbul, who were all also leaving then.
But it was worth it. Escaping Istanbul traffic and congestion for even a night and a day, swimming in a natural hot spring, and eating food straight from a garden was a real treat.
During the month of Ramazan, in which it is believed that the Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed, many Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. For the most devout, this means that nothing, no food, no water, no toothbrush (!) may pass their lips. The purpose of fasting is to feel what it is like to go hungry, to give those who participate a sense of self-control, to cleanse the body, and to become closer to God. After sunset, those fasting (and there are many Muslims in Turkey who choose not to fast) break their fast with a special dinner called Iftar. There is a real celebratory feel to the air, and people spend these dinners with friends and family. Some people wake up early, at 3 or 4 am, to eat a meal before sunrise.
The celebratory feeling is very apparent at the Blue Mosque, which is one of the most famous mosques in Turkey. During Ramazan, outside the Blue Mosque are little booths selling food (which is mainly eaten after sunset), cotton candy, toys, books, and other such goodies one might find at a fair. Lights are strung between the minarets, and people come from all over Turkey.
Seker Bayram, on the other hand, is sort of like Easter at the end of Lent. It is a time to eat candy, eat during the day, and celebrate the completion of Ramazan, regardless if you fasted. Traveling on the very last day of Ramazan before the Iftar dinner that marks the beginning of Seker Bayram, is akin to traveling in the U.S. on Thanksgiving-- in other words, it is an adventure. To get to my final destination, which was a friend's summer home across the Sea of Marmara, I had to take a subway to a bus to a dolmus (special taxi) to a ferry to another dolmus to a car. All this with what seemed like the entire city of Istanbul, who were all also leaving then.
But it was worth it. Escaping Istanbul traffic and congestion for even a night and a day, swimming in a natural hot spring, and eating food straight from a garden was a real treat.
posted by Courtney at 10:46 PM
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