İstanbul, similar to the rest of the İslamic world is going through Eid al-Fitr but with one significant difference. Turks call this feast ‘Şeker Bayramı’ which literally means ‘The Feast of Sweets’. As far as I know there is no other place in the İslamic world that uses a similar name.
A royal procession during a religious festival when Sultan welcomed elites and soldiers
There are many controversies around this name but a possible origin of the name comes from a tradition of the Ottoman Empire where the Sultan offered trays of baklava to the janniseries (Ottoman soldiers) which they would then parade around İstanbul to the delight of onlookers.
Ottoman Janisseries (soldiers)
Baklava is a favourite sweet of Turks across all ages
Festival of Sweets would have a carnival like atmosphere during the Ottoman Era where courtyards of mosques would be hosting fairs for adults and kids where street vendors would sell food and toys for kids amusement. There would be colourful oil lanterns hanging between minarets. Children would go from door to door with oil lanterns to ask for candies and pocket money from neighbours. The Sultan would also be a part of this festive season starting the celebration through kissing his mom’s hand and giving away pocket money to kids in decorative pouches.
İstanbul culture after the Republican Era partially kept some of the traditions of the ‘Feast of Sweets’. istanbulites still serve sweets and candies to their guests and hand it to kids who come to their door. İstanbulites are still ready to give away pocket money to kids who come knocking at their door or who come to kiss their hands to celebrate their festival.
İstanbulites make sure to visit candy stores for buy candies and sweets for their guests who come to visit during the Feast of Sweets
Nostalgic Traditions
İstanbulites of my parent’s and grandparent’s generations also had a tradition of serving ‘liqueur’ next to Turkish coffee to their guests.
Here are two sweet advertisements from 1940s and 1950s in which it says: ‘Bayram is coming, have you bought your liqueur?’ and ‘Serve liqueur during Bayram’. This ritual is a pure nostalgia now as the number of old İstanbul families have diminished and there is a growing conservative interpretation of İslam which is very different from my parents and grandparents’ view of İslam.
Festival of Sweets also meant new clothes and shoes for kids up until 1980s when consumerism had not invaded the country and kids had to wait for this special day to be rewarded with new costumes and shoes which they would keep next to their bed till the next day in which they wore with pride and joy.
Red shoes for the bayram would be every little girl’s dream up until 1980s
But Feast of Sweets is still a time of unification for families and loved ones in spite of all changing traditions!
