Hajj and Kurban Bayrami (Sacrifice Holiday, Eid-ul-Adha)

From Thursday to Sunday is a four day holiday called "Kurban Bayrami" (in Turkish: Sacrifice Holiday) or Eid-ul-Adha. Throughout the Islamic world millions of sheep, goats, cattle and other animals will be killed and the meat eaten and distributed to the poor. Tonight I am off to see Toygun in Adana on the way to Aleppo (again) via Antakya.

This time of the Islamic calender (it varies slightly for each Gregorian year) is also the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudia Arabia. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that every Muslim who can afford to, should do at least once in their life.

This year, along with two million others, my boss is taking his parents-in-law on Hajj. They are on a three week trip arranged by the official Turkish Hajj agency. If my boss had his way he would have chosen a 10 day trip through a private agency. In Turkey (and probably in other Muslim countries), people who have been on Hajj are traditionally called "Haci" (pronounced: Haji).

The BBC News website has several informative links:

About Hajj

Eid-ul-Adha In Pictures

Your Say on Hajj


As is said in Turkish: Kurban Bayraminiz Kutlu Olsun!