Bayram (Turkey)

This article is about Turkish festivals. For other uses, see also Bayram (disambiguation).

Cumhuriyet Bayramı, i.e. Republic Day, celebrations on the Bosporus in Istanbul, with the highly-anticipated annual fireworks show in the national colors of red-and-white

Traditional Ramazan Bayramı, i.e. Ramadan Bayram, wishes from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, stating "Let us love, Let us be loved", in the form of mahya lights stretched across the minarets of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Bayram is the Turkic word for a nationally celebrated festival or holiday, applicable to both national (i.e. secular) or religious celebrations. In accordance with this dual applicability, the method with which one determines the yearly timing of Bayrams is different for national and religious holidays.

State holidays in Turkey have set dates under the nationally-used Gregorian Calendar, while the religious holidays are coordinated and publicly announced in advance by the Government's Presidency of Religious Affairs department according to the Lunar Calendar, and are subsequently accommodated into the national Gregorian Calendar, which results in the dates for religious holidays changing every year with a shift margin of approximately 11 days.

Large scale non-Turkish or non-Islamic traditions and celebrations may similarly be called Bayram, as illustrated by Halloween being referred to as "Cadılar Bayramı" (i.e. "Bayram of Witches"), Easter as "Paskalya Bayramı" (i.e. "Easter Bayram") or "Hamursuz Bayramı" ("No-flour Bayram", used by Jews), Christmas as "Noel Bayramı" (i.e. "Christmas Bayram"), or Hanukkah as "Yeniden Adanma Bayramı" (i.e. "Renewal/Rededication Bayram"). However, not every special occasion or holiday is referred to as a Bayram, as illustrated by the case of World Health Day or Liberation of Istanbul, among others. Also many Albanian Muslims and Bosnian Muslims refer only to Eid ul-Fitr as "Bayram", most likely because of the enduring Ottoman Turkish influence in the Balkans due to several centuries of Ottoman rule.

National festivals of Turkey

• New Years' Day ("Yılbaşı" or "Yılbaşı Bayramı")
• National Sovereignty and Children's Day ("Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı"), April 23 (1920)
• Workers' Day ("İşçi Bayramı"), May 1
• Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day ("Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı"), May 19 (1919)
• Victory Day ("Zafer Bayramı"), August 30 (1922)
• Republic Day ("Cumhuriyet Bayramı"), October 29 (1923)

Religious festivals of Turkey

• Eid ul-Fitr ("Şeker Bayramı", i.e. "Bayram of Sweets" or "Ramazan Bayramı", i.e. "Ramadan Bayram"), Shawwal 1-3
• Eid al-Adha ("Kurban Bayramı", i.e. "Sacrifice Bayram"), Dhu al-Hijjah 10-13

See also

• Public holidays in Turkey

External links

• Türk Dil Kurumu (TDK, Turkish Language Association): Definition of the word Bayram

(The dictionary data base on the TDK site based on: Divanü Lugati't-Türk ("Compendium of the languages of the Turks") of Mahmud al-Kashgari, 1072–1074)

• List of Religious Days and Holidays, Presidency of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
• List of Days and Weeks to be celebrated in public school system, Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey