Şeker Bayramı
Ramazan is followed by the three-day official holiday of Şeker Bayramı or the Candy Holiday/Festival. It marks the end of the 30-day fasting period of Ramadan. It is an official Turkish Holiday, schools and government offices are closed during those days, and celebrations take place all over Turkey.
30 Aug 2011 – 1 Sep 2011 – Tuesday – Thursday
(This appears to be a 1 week + 2 weekends holiday) When a holiday, especially a national/ religious one, falls mid week like this year, it is likely the entire week will be a holiday. Adding the weekend before and after usually turns a three day holiday into 10 days. – (Sat 27 Aug – Sun 4 Sep 2011)
On the first evening it is common to get together with friends, families and loved ones for a huge feast. Şeker Bayramı is traditionally celebrated with chocolates and sweet foods and traditional families visit each other, bring sweets and drink tea. It is also common to give children a present and many families take holidays in the countryside.
Young people visit their elders first and other relatives, neighbors and friends are also visited. Because of these visits, traffic can be quite busy on the first day of the festival. Candies, chocolates, Turkish coffee and cold beverages are offered to visitors and visits are usually kept short. If you visit your Turkish friends, a box of candy or chocolate would be the most appropriate gift to take.
