BAJRAM (BAYRAM). - In Turkish, "feast". The Muslim religious calendar knows two great feasts: the 'id al-adhā, which falls on the 10th of the Muslim month of Dū 'l-hiḡāh, and the 'id al-fitr, on the first day of the month of Sawwāl. The 'id al-adhā (feast of sacrifices), called in Turkish būyūk b. (great feast), is celebrated on the same day on which the pilgrims at Mecca, every year, sacrifice in the valley of Mina. The sacrifice (of sheep, camels, cattle) is performed not only by the pilgrims but also by all free Muslims able to buy an animal to sacrifice. The animals destined for sacrifice must be of a determined age and free of defects. The meat of the sacrificed animals is consumed, one third of it, by the one offering the sacrifice, while the rest is given away.
The 'id al-fitr (feast of the breaking of the fast) is called in Turkish kūṭūk b. (little feast) or ṭeker b. (sugar feast) and is celebrated precisely at the end of the month of ramadān. Despite the name "little feast", it is in reality the one celebrated with greater solemnity, inasmuch as it brings the fast to an end, a fast particularly painful in summer.
In both feasts, which as a rule last three or four days, Muslims put on new clothes, exchange visits, good wishes and gifts. Especially during the 'id al-fitr, they visit the cemeteries, where some remain for an entire night. Further popular customs vary according to the countries. Common to both feasts is the feast prayer (salāt al-'id), somewhat different from the normal ritual prayer and preserving more ancient characteristics, and it is generally performed in the open air rather than in a mosque, as also happens for certain extraordinary prayers.
Alessandro Bausani