site.btaTurkiye Marks Holy Muslim Holiday of Kurban Bayram

Eighty-six-million-strong Turkiye celebrates the holy Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice), one of Islam's two biggest holidays. This year, it runs from the evening of June 5 to the evening of June 9.

The name of the holiday, which is celebrated by millions of Muslims around the world, comes from the fact that cattle and small livestock are slaughtered and sacrificed (kurban) on this day. In Bulgaria, the holiday is also known as Koch Bayram.

The sacrifices begin from the first to the last day of the holiday, and special places are designated for the slaughter of animals. The meat from the kurban is not taken home, but donated to relatives, public institutions, foundations, as well as needy nations abroad in Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East. The focus of this year's Kurban donations is for the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, and the holiday also commands every Muslim to make a donation.

A tradition that has been established in recent years is that the slaughtering of the kurban is ordered at commercial establishments for a certain amount. The head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Prof. Dr. Ali Erbas, announced that the sum for the sacrifice is TRY 13,500 (EUR 289) for the country and TRY 5,450 (EUR 121) for abroad. 

Eid al-Adha officially began Friday morning in nearly 90,000 mosques across Turkiye with the traditional Namaz prayer at 6:08 a.m., and an hour earlier in the eastern regions of the country. Only men participate in the ritual. Traditionally, political leaders, MPs, and public figures also participate in different mosques.

After the prayers, it is on to the congratulations - the little ones kiss the hand of the elderly, and families, relatives, loved ones congratulate each other on the holiday and visit each other.

During the holiday, government and public offices and banks in Turkiye and diplomatic missions abroad are closed. 

Some markets and retail chains will be closed, but shopping malls in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and other major cities of the country will be open, the retailers' association said.

Vehicle traffic on Turkiye's highways and public transport in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir will be free from June 6 to 9 by decree of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The Istanbul international bus station said it has provided additional buses to the Black Sea coast, provinces in Southern Anatolia, and resorts. Turkish Airlines have also launched additional flights to both domestic and international destinations.

The country's main thoroughfares have been packed with buses and passenger cars since Thursday. Some of them are going to spend the holiday with their relatives, while others are going on holiday to resorts.

Turkiye's national carrier, Turkish Airlines, announced that it had a record-high number of flights on Thursday, 1,292 flights, TRT Haber reported. In a number of seaside resorts such as Kusadasi and Antalya, hotels were filled to over 80%, Turkish media reported.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that nearly 3,000 civilian traffic police officers will travel in buses to secretly monitor compliance with traffic rules. According to statistics, most traffic accidents occur on Kurban Bayram days due to drivers' disregard for the rules.

Many expatriates have travelled to Bulgaria to spend Bayram with their relatives and slaughter the kurbans, the Avcilar expatriate society in Istanbul told BTA. Group tourist visits have also been organized to the Bulgarian cities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, and Varna.

According to the Turkish customs authority, traffic at the border crossings near Adrianople to Bulgaria and Greece is heavy. The directorate also reminded that fines will be imposed for importing meat in excess of the specified quantities.

One of the days of Bayram is dedicated to exchanging greetings and well wishes between political parties.

In his celebratory message, Turkish President Erdogan said the country had entered a new phase of "Turkiye without terrorism". "Our name is Brotherhood, our surname is Turkiye," he told TRT Haber.

The head of State stressed Turkiye's support for Palestine, as well as Ankara's role in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that took place in Istanbul. He also spoke about Syria. "We appreciate the struggle of the new administration in neighbouring Syria for the national unity, territorial integrity and sustainable development of the country. We believe that with the support of all brotherly countries in the region, Syria will achieve lasting peace and return to its former glory days," Erdogan said.