Kurban Bayrami

Kurban Bayrami (Feast of Sacrifice) is a 4 day holiday that was celebrated a few weeks ago here. The holiday celebrates the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son and his obedience to God. The morning of the first day of this holiday the men of the household usually slaughter a sheep, goat or cow. The meat is prepared for a feast and often excess is donated to charity or the poor.

We innocently went on a walk this day with my in-laws and came upon many gatherings where animals were being sacrificed. Car washes were the common location to have this done. Below is a picture of sheep that would be sacrificed and also a picture of men gathered around a cow that had been slaughtered. It isn't a close up picture, but if you get queasy thinking about it you might want to bypass looking at the photo.





Most businesses were shut down for the 4 days. The first day is spent with family and the following days you visit your friends and wish them a "Happy Bayram". We took my in laws to my language tutor's house to wish them a happy holiday. It is typical to be served tea or juice and baklava. My tutor's family also served us "sarma", which is rice wrapped in grape leaves.

It is a holiday unlike any I've ever experienced before and very important to the people of this country.