Ramadan

Türkiye has come together in solidarity with quake victims to mark the occasion of Eid-Al Fitr, as the three-day holiday begins on April 21 with the ending of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Also celebrated as the "Candy Festival" in Türkiye, Eid is a public holiday during which people traditionally visit their families and friends and offer meals and desserts.

As the feats and fasts of the three religions have coincided in the same month for the first time in the last 36 years, Muslims, Christians and Jews have come together for the "Unity and Brotherhood Table" in the southern quake-hit province of Hatay, the city of civilizations and cultures for centuries.

Türkiye has welcomed the beginning of the Eid-al Fitr holiday, also known as the "Ramadan holiday," which begins on April 21 as the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end.

The three-day Eid holiday boosted domestic tourism, with millions hitting the roads days after the indoor mask mandate in the country was partly lifted after two years of strict coronavirus measures.

Amin Aaser remembers as a child growing up in Minnesota that his Muslim faith often made him feel like an outsider, and being required to follow its practices and tenets "sometimes felt like going to the dentist."

The Eid al-Fitr holiday is giving a boost to Türkiye's tourism activity as bookings by holidaymakers rise 40 to 45 percent this year compared with last year.

The Eid marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Eid holiday starts on April 21 and ends on April 23, but families are merging a short school break and Eid to go on a long nine-day vacation.

With flowing kaftans, fluid separates and glamorous maxi dresses, Western luxury fashion brands are increasingly targeting the monied Middle Eastern market with Ramadan capsule collections.

The Interior Ministry has sent a circular to all governor's offices on traffic measures to be implemented during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, nearly 100,000 police officers will be on duty during the 10-day period.

The national blood stock has fallen below the minimum level due to the devastating earthquakes in February, an official from the Turkish Red Crescent has said, warning that only a three-day blood stock is left.

Announcing that the blood supply in the country is decreasing at a critical level, Saim Kerman called on citizens to donate blood.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the joint presidential candidate, has vowed to increase a bi-annual premium paid for the pensioners before two religious holidays up to the level of minimum wage which is currently 8,500 Turkish Liras.

Holiday bookings have started to pick up at the end of March after both local and foreign holidaymakers either delayed or cancelled travel plans in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in early February.