As the world prepares to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, also known as Ramadan Bayramı, the three-day holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during which devout Muslims fast for 30 days, now is a good time to look at some of the unique Turkish traditions for celebrating what is known in Turkey as “Şeker Bayramı.”
Now, you might be wondering why, unlike anyplace else in the world, the Eid al-Fitr celebration in Turkey is referred to as Şeker Bayramı, which translates to "Sugar Feast." You could think it's because of the massive amounts of candies and sweets eaten after the majority of Turks spent the previous month eating at odd hours. This is due to the fact that Muslims all over the world fast from dawn to sunset throughout Ramadan, making it the world's greatest communal fasting event. In Turkey, however, the holiday's name, Şeker Bayramı, is said to be the consequence of a mispronunciation. That's true! The holiday was once known as "Şükür Bayramı," or "a holiday to be grateful.” The two terms "şükür" (thankfulness) and "şeker" (sugar) were spelt using the same letters in the Ottoman alphabet, according to Ottoman era specialist Murat Bardakç, and therefore the meaning of the festival was misinterpreted throughout time. According to Bardakç, the phrase şükür was used to express thankfulness to individuals who had completed their religious obligations by fasting. Meanwhile, the late academic Güngör Uras claimed that the Ottoman ritual of the mansion that is offering trays of baklava to their army personnel on the 15th day of Ramadan, then they would parade all over town to the delight of people in the crowd is why Eid al-Fitr is known in Turkey as the "Sugar Feast."
The term "sweet" is especially significant since one of the most common Ramadan practices is the gifting of pocket money to youngsters, who subsequently spend it on sweets. Whatever they called it, the Şeker Bayramı name remained and is representative of the central role of sweet delicacies served in Turkey during this 3-day celebration, a tradition that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. However, it is now commonly known that Ramadan Bayramı is the proper way to refer to the festival. There are a variety of customs commemorating Eid al-Fitr that date back to the Ottoman Empire, several of which are still currently practised and others that have tragically faded away.
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