Confessions of an Expat's Wife

from one country to another,thousands of miles earned, different languages to get by with, cultures and expectations to live with plus millons of photos taken to tell the adventures of my life

Yesterday marked the beginning of the second bayram here in Turkey. Two months ago, they had Ramazan (commonly known as ramadan in other Muslim Countries) and now they have the Feast of the Sacrifice or the Kurban Bayrami.

Kurban Bayrami this year is from 1o-16 January. This is considered as one of the longest religious and secular holiday here in Turkey. In short, NO WORK. During these days, the Muslim families re-enact the sheep sacrifice made by Abraham in place of his son Isaac, better known as Ismail tothe Muslims. According to their faith, A ram fell from the sky just when the prophet Abraham was about to kill Ismail as a sacrifice to God thus, he killed the animal instead of his son. As a tradition, Muslim families buy a live sheep and kill it in the morning with the supervision of a butcher. The killing is done in public, so you would hear the poor cry of the sheep and if you happen to walk around the city, you might find yourself witness to the sacrifice.

Tradition also dictates that once the sheep is killed, the owners must cook 1/3 of the meat immediately. The other 1/3 should be given to neighbors and family and the last portion should be distributed to the poor and needy.

The bayram holiday actually has a cheerful atmosphere but not as festive as the Ramazan. The people still go visit their respective families and give each other sweets ( chocolates, candies, turkish delight or lokum) and a portion of the meat they killed for sacrifice. Apparently, this holiday also gives way to forgiveness amongst enemies and dispute settling.

I've never witnessed a sacrifice feast before. My Japanese neighbor witnessed one last year and she said it was not for the light-hearted. Early in the morning today, I woke up with the call to prayer by the mosques and today was particularly long compared to other days. It's freezing cold outside. I have a feeling most of the sacrifice feast will be done indoors this week. For the Turkish family who strictly follow tradition, there will be many visits of relatives and exchange of sweets and meat. For the others, the bayram, is another opportunity to go on holiday or visit their hometowns. The highways are jampacked. The shops are closed. The city is quiet but the individual Turkish families in their homes are celebrating the feast of sacrifice.

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Name: duke

Location: Istanbul, Türkiye

A first time mom to baby A living as an expat in Istanbul, Turkey.

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