A special time in Turkey

Last week here in Turkey was Kurban Bayram – The Feast of the Sacrifice, which I compare to having the same amount of importance to us, as our Christmas. So I think its something beyond worthy of writing about and I feel very lucky to have been here to be part of it.

This was my second Bayram to witness and I remember thinking last year how fortunate I was to witness Bayram in a small village, as I think that’s where you get to see the real thing. Sometimes I’m so used to living here, that its things like this that remind me I am in a foreign country. So what is Kurban Bayram then? Well it is the story of Ibrahim’s willingness to slaughter his son to show his faithfulness to Allah. Just before he was going to carry out the deed, Allah came to him and presented him with a goat/sheep to slaughter instead and save his son. For those of you who are Christian, you may recognise the same story in the bible with Abraham.

It’s a time for being with your family and visiting all your other family members, aunts, uncles, cousins, 4^th cousin removed, doesn’t matter, there is a good chance they will all be on the list. Not to mention actually being at home for when everyone comes to visit you. The most popular form of transport in Turkey are buses, and they all book out around this time, as it’s when all Turks are on the move. Even local shorter trips can have no seats available, which in the peak of summer, rarely happens. As it’s also the most important time for Muslims to visit Mecca, air travel is at its peak in and out of Turkey.

Bayram is also a time of charity and community. What normally happens is the people who can afford to buy a goat/sheep to slaughter will do so, and then share the animal with people less fortunate than them. So you can often find people walking along with a hind leg in a bag to share with their neighbour or family member. Or as you walk past any family sitting and enjoying their freshly cooked meat, they will open their door and offer you some. It’s a time of giving, but instead of it being something wrapped up and put under a tree, it’s a slab of meat.

I found it fascinating last year when I was in the village where I spent Bayram, as you get to see the whole process. A week or so before the day there is a makeshift market set up to sell the animals. As you then drive around town you will see a goat tied with rope to a tree on the peoples properties, waiting for the day. You would not see this in the bigger towns or cities, so I was really enjoying the build up to it all. I could also liken the build up to our own family Christmas getting all the food ordered, bought, prepared etc...

The day before Bayram, it is very important for families to visit the cemetery to pay respects to those members in their family that have gone before them. The cemetery will be full of people coming to visit and traditionally they will leave a sprig of myrtle behind. When someone dies in the Islam faith, they are washed with water and myrtle. Traditionally when you visit the gravesite, you always leave some behind. Small prayers are said for each buried loved one and my partners’ family leave behind a bowl of water and a sweet for the birds. They do this as a sign of charity on behalf of their lost family members. At Bayram, the street leaving the cemetery is lined with kids handing out sweets as you drive away.

Bayram day arrives and its starts like any normal day but with an extra greeting you use, to give your wishes, of “Iyi Bayramlar”. There are several men, depending on the size of the town, who will then come around and slaughter your goat/sheep. Now, I’m not a red meat eater and I know animal lovers and maybe some vegetarians out there will be so against this, but I say you can’t go against tradition, nor the circle of life, so as much as I’m not up to have front row seats to watch an animal be slaughtered I was quite intrigued. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the whole thing, but I know it was done in a humane and respectful way. I wont go into the details, as maybe it will upset some of you. I’m sure you don’t need to hear it all anyway.  

What amazed me while the slaughtering was going on, were all the children who were playing around the streets. As Bayram is a holiday in Turkey all the kids are off school and out playing with their cousins and friends. As I was standing there watching the process, feeling a little uncomfortable, these kids are running around like nothing is happening. They don’t bat an eyelid at the blood or the carcass of meat. It’s all just business as usual for them. Now I’m sure some kids from the country back home would feel the same, but I know for sure, if I was 4 or 5 or even 12 years old, I’m not sure I would have been able to run past this and not want to run away terrified. I know these kids have probably seen it since they were born, but it truly amazed me how there was no reaction at all, not even any curiosity.

So as you can imagine the end product is a feast for the family to start cooking up, eating, enjoying and also, to start sharing with their neighbours. There is so much meat to feast on; most of them start to pack it up for freezing to eat at a later date. We called into one of the family members for a visit. They were out the back with all the neighbours and in-laws who were all packaging their meat under a marquee. It looked like and smelt like an open air butchers. As they sat there working together, they were laughing, eating, talking and drinking tea, bringing back the importance of being with family. There is so much meat to eat, that I’m sure when it comes to another goat meal, they must think - not again! That further reminded me of our Christmas again, when mum and dad used to get the ever-lasting leg of ham. You love it on the first few days but then when you are eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks on end, you do think – not again!!!!

Another similarity I could draw on from Bayram to my own Christmas, was the tradition of food indulgence. I’m not sure what your Christmas morning is like, but its one of the days in the year that my sister allows her kids to have a chocolate (or 10) before breakfast; same goes for here in Turkey on Bayram. When you go around to visit all the family and neighbours it is down right rude not to stop and have a coffee or tea with them and you will automatically be offered sweets and the lemon cologne to rub into your hands. Doesn’t matter if you haven’t had time for breakfast or you just ate, not taking a treat, or only taking one is a big no no!!! This year I was still stuffed from a breakfast when we our first stop. Chocolates and coffee were offered, so we sat and ate a handful – rude not to of course. Then the next house, again another coffee and chocolates were offered and it continued on for the next 3 or 4 visits. Who needs lunch on days like these? By the end of the day, you are still eating to be polite and you end the day feeling well fed, happy and content.  Just maybe not all that sleepy with the coffee buzz going on…

Sorry guys, no snaps for this blog – next time I promise!!!