Berat Kandili is spent reciting the Quran and performing special prayers as well as visiting the graves of deceased relatives.

Issuing a message in connection with Berat Kandili, Religious Affairs Directorate President Ali Bardakoğlu said Berat Kandili is a door of opportunity opened by God for people who have become down and depressed, to seek the forgiveness of God for past bad deeds and to get rid of the dirt left on their hearts by those sins.

He said Prophet Muhammad had stated that God will forgive all who seek to be forgiven on this night. “This night, which heralds the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, reminds people that they should avoid wrongdoing, be purified from their sins and appeal to the endless mercy of the great creator. These holy nights also remind us all of our responsibilities to God, to ourselves and to humanity,” he said.

Many Muslims will fast today and visit mosques tonight for communal celebrations. Various TV channels, including ones owned by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), will broadcast live programs this evening to mark the holy night, featuring the recitation of mevlids -- poems celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. TRT will broadcast a live Kandil program from Gazi Süleymanpaşa Mosque in northwestern Bolu province.