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Islamic
holidays arrive according to
the lunar Hijri calendar,
which is 11 days shorter than the
common solar (Gregorian) year.
The
two most important Islamic holidays
are Kurban
Bayrami and Ramazan,
which also contain national
public holidays. They may
affect your travel plans, so
you should know when they occur and
how they affect travel.
Minor
Islamic festivals such as kandils are
not disruptive, just interesting
and fun.
Islamic
holidays begin at sundown,
last until sundown on the following
calendar day, and the important public
holidays are usually preceded by
a half-day vacation called arife ("preparation").
Offices, banks and businesses may close
at noon on the day of arife, with
the festivities beginning at sunset.
KURBAN
BAYRAMI
Called Eid el-Adha or Eid
el-Kebir in Arabic, Kurban Bayrami
(koor-BAHN bahy-rah-muh) is the most
important Islamic religious
festival of the year, and a 4
or 5-day public holiday in
Turkey. It begins in November 2009
and 2010. More...
(For
an account of a memorable Kurban
Bayrami I spent in Eastern
Turkey, see Eastern
Sacrifice.)
RAMAZAN
Many Turks
fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramazan (RAH-mah-zahn,
called Ramadan in other countries).
Restaurants are less busy at lunch,
and there's even less Turkish
tea in evidence (which is amazing).
It falls in August-September
2010. More...
MINOR
ISLAMIC FESTIVALS
Festivals
such as Asure
Günü, Mevlid-i
Nebi, and the kandils are
not public holidays, but mosques are
illuminated, special foods and treats
are prepared, and you can participate,
actively or passively, in the celebrations.
You should at least know the dates
so you understand what's going on. More...
For month-by-month details of weather, holidays,
festivals and tourist seasons, see Tom's
Turkish Almanac.
Cheap
airfares and good flight times.
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