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Here is some more information about the bairams in Turkey. Bairams are religious festivals celebrated twice a year by Muslims. Because Turkey is a country where a great majority of people are Muslims since centuries, these bairams are also like part of the culture in a way.
The time of these festivals is determined according to the Arabic calendar which is based on the moon, therefore the celebration date is ten days earlier each year according to our calendar. One bairam will complete its rotation through the year in 36-37 years.
The first one of the two is the Ramadan Bairam (Ramazan Bayramı , which is at the end of the Arabic month called Ramadan. Muslims fast during this month, and the main reason of this bairam is the end of fasting. It lasts for 3 days, and people celebrate each other's bairam and visit relatives and friends during this time. It is a custom to have some sweets at home to give your visitors during the bairams. During family visits, young people kiss hands of older family members. It is also common to give small children kissing your hands some money. Some kids can make a small fortune at these times  Another important tradition is to buy new clothes to wear for the bairam, especially for children.
The second one is the more controversial Feast of Sacrifice (Kurban Bayramı, lasts for four days and it is around three months after the Ramadan Bairam. All the other traditions are applied the same way during this bairam. The difference is, wealthy enough Muslims slaughter farm animals to eat during the festival and distribute meat to the poor.
Bairams are especially important since these are generally the only get together times for many large families scattered around different regions of the country. There is no school or work during these times, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. There are also a few other special days, namely national holidays in Turkey but they are not cuturally as important occasions.
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