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LoginEid Al-Adha in Turkiye: Season of Solidarity, Bolstering Social Bonds
Ankara, May 27 (QNA) - Eid Al-Adha in Turkiye is widely regarded as a season of social solidarity, family connection, and the strengthening of community bonds across all segments of society.
It is a unifying occasion that helps restore family ties and reinforce the values of compassion and mutual support within the community.
In this religious holiday, cities, markets, and villages enter an exceptional atmosphere in which religious spirit blends with social traditions that date back to the Ottoman era.
Preparations for Eid Al-Adha - known in Turkiye as Qurban Bayram - begin long in advance. Livestock markets in provinces across the country become increasingly active, drawing large numbers of citizens who seek to choose their sacrificial animals, whether sheep or cattle.
Special and temporary livestock markets are set up on the outskirts of major cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, where buyers carefully inspect the animals and negotiate with sellers according to age-old traditions that remain viscerally rooted in Turkish culture.
Among the customs is the decoration of sacrificial animals before slaughter, by applying henna to their heads or hanging colored ribbons and beads around their necks - a time-honored heritage bequeathed over generations.
Many families also bring their children to the livestock markets to make them internalize this ritual and strengthen their connection to cultural and religious practices.
Eid Al-Adha in Turkiye represents one of the most significant occasions where religious values intersect with social and cultural memory. Throughout history, Turkish historian Ibrahim Bazan, told Qatar News Agency (QNA).
He noted that holiday has never been limited to worship or the act of sacrifice, rather, it has been a unifying event that restores family bonds and affirms the principles of solidarity and compassion within society.
He further affirmed that, in reminiscence of the Ottoman period, preparations for the holiday used to begin weeks in advance, with livestock markets becoming an essential part of the cities’ social and economic life.
Families regarded the purchase of the sacrificial animal as an event in itself, involving all family members and reflecting the importance of the holiday in daily life, Bazan suggested.
Mustafa Ozcan, an expert in Turkish-Arab relations, told QNA about Turkish customs during the Feast of Sacrifice. He said that on the morning of Eid, crowds head to open prayer grounds and mosques to perform the Eid prayer - a communal moment that has long transcended social differences.
After the prayer, he added, greetings and family visits begin, especially to elders, a tradition that Turks have preserved generation after generation because it strengthens kinship ties and maintains family cohesion.
Regarding the sacrifice itself, Ozcan noted that it carries a meaning in Turkish consciousness that goes beyond the act of slaughter, as it is closely tied to the culture of sharing and distributing blessings.
Ozcan concluded that despite the major transformations modern Turkiye has witnessed -including migration to large cities and changing lifestyles - the essence of these traditions remains present.
The organization of the sacrificial process, he noted, has become more developed, with municipalities and charitable institutions playing a substantive role in managing it, but the core values of the holiday - mercy, family connection, and community solidarity - have remained intact.
On the morning of Eid, crowds head to mosques for the Eid prayer, after which the ritual slaughter begins at designated facilities supervised by Turkish municipalities under strict health and regulatory measures, Ozcan highlighted.
He added that authorities largely cherish this aspect by preparing slaughter areas, providing veterinary teams, and overseeing hygiene and sanitation throughout the process.
What most distinguishes Eid Al-Adha in Turkiye, Ozcan noted, is the widespread display of social solidarity. The meat of the sacrifice is traditionally divided into three parts: one for the household, one for relatives and neighbors, and one for the poor and needy -a practical embodiment of the values of compassion and sharing that the Turkish community upholds.
Ozcan further clarified that during the holiday, Turkish charitable and humanitarian organizations -mostly the Turkish Red Crescent and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) - conduct extensive campaigns to distribute sacrificial meat inside Turkiye and abroad, reaching millions of people in dozens of countries.
The holiday atmosphere, he continued, extends beyond the sacrificial ritual with Family visits cranking up as Turks make a point of visiting elders and relatives. Homes fill with the aroma of Turkish coffee and traditional sweets such as baklava, lokum, and chocolates, all offered to guests as part of well-established hospitality customs.
Overall, Eid is also a major travel period, with millions of people heading to their hometowns to spend the holiday with family. Subsequently, this religious occasion becomes one of the busiest travel seasons on Turkiye’s roads and at its airports. (QNA)
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