Turkish Family's Ramadan (iftar) Dinner

I have just wanted to upload this Turkish iftar dinner table photo for you for now. I feel hungry already ;)

Ramadan in Turkey

Part of me was sad in this Ramadan because I wasn't in Turkey. I strongly believe that Ramadan brings happiness to homes all over Turkey. Families, relatives and friends come together sometimes during this 30 day of fasting to share food.

during Ramadan, before dawn each day, family members get up and partake of a proper breakfast together. we are calling that breakfast as "sahur".
in Turkey, as a tradition, in order to help people to get up for Sahur eating, there are "Ramadan Drummers". each night , about 2 hours before the dawn, each ramadan drummer assigned for specific area of the town, begin to play his drum while walking around that area. he passes around the buildings and apartments couple of times. for me, it is a very happy moment to hear our drummer. When I miss the drummer because of my deep sleep, I was feeling sad. Drummers are getting paid by municpality but they are also collecting tips twice in the middle and end of Ramadan from people (in the evening) by telling specific poems related to Ramadan and by playing the drum. you should have listened to these specific short poems, they are generally make you think and at the same time they are funny.

I am sure what is on the Sahur table is depending on the family members and their tastes in Turkey ;) but for my family, my father is kind of picky on subjects related to food. ;) so, there have to be either pasta or rice on that table served with "hosaf" (special light and sweet dish goes well with pasta and rice) or "yogurt" for him to be able to fast for the next day. I have 2 sisters and for us, getting up at the middle of the night is generally really difficult especially when we were younger. but, once you get up, family talk on the Sahur table is something special that I will always remember. as 3 sisters, the problem was whenever we see rice or pasta on the table, we were complaining a lot. my dearest patient and caring mom was always preparing something else for 3 of us as well. I feel like, during Ramadan, all moms are earning a lot of good deeds than any other people in front of God since almost all are very self-sacrificing and Devoted to their families and kids. I want to be like my mom but I don't know if I can be as patient and loving as her.

At sunset, people should also break fast. the dinner (we call it "iftar") table during Ramadan month is generally spectacular. iftar is a very important part of the Ramadan in Turkey. I will explain and give some specific examples of Turkish iftar on my next post. but I am telling you, since Turkish cuisine has wide variety of very very delicious food in it, you really should be in Turkey during Ramadan so that you can try them all :)

Holy month - Ramadan

I was very busy with my research at school and I couldn't write earlier. but here I am again.

For Muslims, last month was Ramadan which is a month of blessing that includes prayer, fasting and charity. So, what is Ramadan? I would like to explain a little bit.

During the ninth month of the lunar calendar, that Muslims believe God, or Allah, revealed the first verses of the Qu'ran, the holy book of Islam to the Prophet Muhammad. Ramadan celebrates the revelation of the Quran, the word of Allah, given to the Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims, fasting during the whole month of Ramadan, is one of the five pillars, or essential religious duties, of their faith. The main component of Ramadan is the fast.

During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking. Fasting teaches self-control, encourages a focus on prayer and the life of the spirit, and allows practitioners to devote their attention to worship, and draw closer to God.

Fasting is so important to Muslims for a number of reasons. First, when you are not paying attention to your mortal needs such as food, you may be able to become more in tune with God and your spiritual side. Also, the fast serves to remind Muslims of the suffering of the poor. This idea reinforces the importance of charity during Ramadan.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm)literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.

Like in everyother Muslim countries, people were happy to welcome this holly month throughout Turkey where 95% of population believes in Islam. I will explain how we are (Turkish people) celebrating Ramadan, what we are doing and what kind of specific traditions we have during this month in my next post. I will try to post soon.. ;)

references:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/ramadan1.htm
http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/ramadanintro.htm

henna night 2

Bride's close friends carry the henna pot with the candles on it and sing the song together while making a circle around the bride. (bride is generally sitting on a chair in the middle of the room). since the song is very emotional, most of the time, bride and bride's mom (sometimes sisters) can not hold their tears and cry in this part of the night. (generally men can not understand this feeling. the reason for bride to cry is extremely weird and unbelievable for them. I don't expect them to understand because they are never that emotional anyways. that is the love between mom and daughter)

After that, the henna is going to be put on bride's hands by someone who is closer to bride except for the mom. My aunt did it for me. During henna night, I didn't let my aunt to put henna on my hand until after I've gotten a golden money on my one hand from the groom's mother ;) that is a kind of gift on henna night that a bride is expecting from her mother-in law.

After henna is on brides hand, the red henna gloves are put on hands. bride will hug the guests and and she accepts their good wishes. the music will be on throughout the night and there will be dancing on the floor (sometimes belly dancing) within ladies. before that groom can join to celebrate his fiancee and maybe they can have one dance together. (this part is not in every henna night. it can be different in other families)

and ofcourse delicious Turkish side-dishes especially deserts and beverages will be served to the guests. (bride's lady family members and close neigbors are helping for preparing and serving the food, thanks to them ;) )

I would like to also explain "henna" has a special and deeper meaning other than a "dye" in Turkish culture. It has a meaning of "devotion". Henna is not only for the bride but also it is put on men's hands (or hair) while they are going to do their military service. It is also put little bit on sheep or cow before it is sacrificed during Kurban Eid (a religious festival for Muslims) for Allah (God). The meaning of henna for bride is to be devoted to her husband; for soldier is to be devoted to his country and for sheep/cow is to be sacrificed in the name of God.

Turkish henna night

The night of the henna is a very special day for Turkish women. It is generally celebrated one night before the wedding day. this traditional night is mostly for bride, bride's female friends and female family members. (it is kind of a girls' night together) you are feeling very happy at the same time very sad at that night because you know you are leaving your parent, your family the next day to begin a new family of your own with someone you love. the song that is going to be sing on that night will be:

Kinayi getir anne
parmagin batir anne..
bu gece misafir et..
koynunda yatir anne..

approximately meaning: "put the henna on my hands momy and let me be your guest and stay in your arms tonight"

or another (more common) song is:

yuksek yuksek tepelere ev kurmasinlar..
arsi arsi memlekete kiz vermesinler..
annesinin bir tanesini hor gormesinler..
ucan da kuslara malum olsun ben annemi ozledim..
hem annemi hem babami ben koyumu ozledim..

the meaning is similar. the bride is going to miss her mom, her father and her home. the mom is wishing her precious daughter a happy marriage and she hopes her daughter is not going to be far from her.

I felt like I really miss my mom now. ;)

About the blogger..

Hello, My name is Zeynep.. It seems to me a good idea to create such a blog ;)

I am from Turkey, a lovely country with very nice people (You should definitely visit). I have a PhD in Chemistry and I am interested in learning different cultures.

In this blog, I would like to share some of the Turkish traditions with you. I think that you are going to like it. Also, I would like to tell about some of the amazing places in Turkey, my home. And I'd like to tell some short stories about its welcoming, kind and hospitable people.. 

Thank you for visiting my blog! It is nice to meet you..