Eid-al Adha!

Wow!.. It was Eid-al Adha again. In Turkish words “Kurban Bayrami”, which means “Festival of Sacrifice”. Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja and it lasts for four days.

It was magnificent as always. Muslim men performed Eid salah, and after that, rich people sacrificed sheeps, cows or goats in Turkey. One sheep or goat, for one rich person. One cow, for up to 7 people. One can sacrifice camels too, but it’s not common in Turkey. Than you can eat the meat of your sacrificed animal anytime you want, and you can give some (or all) of the meat to the poor people.

After these events, people started to visit their relatives, beginning with the oldest family members. Children kissed the adults’ hands, and adults gave some gifts to children. People who are at odds made peace.

We all wish to live this experience again and again.

By the way, I have to say that, It’s hard to say that the word “festival” fits as an equivalent for “bairam”. Because when you hear the word “festival”, you probably think Brazilian or whatever festivals, which local people who dressed with funny clothes partying and dancing all night.

No. Bairam isn’t like that.

It’s not a hedonic thing.

It’s not an extreme amusement.

… and it is not a day to forget human responsibilities, unlike the other “festival”s.

Because of that, we hesitate to use the word “festival” as an equivalent for “bayram”. “Holiday” word may be a synonym, but it brings “vacation” to  mind, especially in Turkey.

So we neither use the word “festival”, nor “holiday”. It is bairam.

It’s a short period of time, but it is, indeed, marvellous.

Hope you all have a chance to live it!