Festival Grounds

Bayram yeri is a traditional space in many regions of Türkiye, particularly during Ramazan and Kurban Bayram, fulfilling social, cultural, and ritualistic functions. These spaces serve as communal gathering points where collective bayram celebrations take place, games are played, meals are shared, visits are exchanged, and intergenerational cultural transmission occurs.^【1】 

Cultural Function and Structure

Bayram Yeri Hazırlıkları (Adem Koç)

As a cultural space, the bayram yeri fosters interpersonal interaction and socialization. Typically, village squares, mosque courtyards, or other suitable open areas serve this function. Preparations begin several days before the holiday: homes are cleaned, traditional dishes such as sarma, baklava, and kavurma are prepared, and special bayram clothing is readied. After the bayram prayer, people gather at the bayram yeri for collective celebrations. Guests are offered refreshments, games are played, and conversations ensue. The bayram yeri can also function as a social setting where potential marriage partners meet for the first time.

The bayram yeri tradition varies from region to region. In the Kandıra district of Kocaeli, for example, residents visit a designated neighboring neighborhood on a specific day. Each holiday, the residents of a previously designated neighborhood host visitors from surrounding neighborhoods, warmly welcoming their neighbors.

Kocaeli Kandıra'da Bayramlaşma (Anadolu Ajansı)

Games Played at the Bayram Yeri

In villages where the bayram yeri tradition is practiced, games such as rabbit chase and hound pursuit, swinging on swings, şık şık, and çarçap are played. Among these, çarçap is the most common game played by young people in village squares during the bayram yeri tradition.^【2】

Çarçap is played by four people divided into two pairs. (F: 6) Each player hides their hand behind their back and simultaneously shows one of the numbers one, three, or five using their fingers. One beats five, five beats three, and three beats one. The winner strikes the loser’s hand. Through these games, young men and women become acquainted, socialize, make decisions about the future, and choose partners with whom they will build their lives.^【3】 

The Inability to Transfer the Bayram Yeri to Urban Areas

Kocaeli Kandıra'da Çarçap Oynayan Gençler (Özcal Oğuz vd.)

The inability to transfer the bayram yeri to urban areas reflects broader challenges and transformations in the cultural transmission of bayram celebrations. Bayram is not merely a means of forming bonds between individuals; it is also a process through which values passed down from past generations are kept alive. Although this tradition historically migrated from villages to towns and from towns to cities, urbanization and social change have increasingly made it difficult to sustain these rituals.

In cities, the existence of bayram yerleri could create important cultural spaces for people to gather, enjoy themselves, socialize, and visit one another during the holidays. However, today the organization of such collective events remains highly limited.

In contemporary urban settings, the way individuals participate in traditional bayram celebrations has been shaped largely by security concerns and the increasing protection of private spaces. People now celebrate bayram only within the safety of their own apartment buildings or familiar social circles. This shift has led to the loss of some of the original social functions of bayram and has confined celebrations to narrower circles. This development is one of the most tangible indicators of the bayram yeri’s failure to adapt to urban life; instead of being a communal celebration, bayram has become primarily an individual and family-centered activity.

The social interaction provided by traditional bayram celebrations has gradually disappeared due to the lack of support from local authorities through cultural policies, replaced by more isolated forms of observance. Urban security concerns have reduced time spent in public streets and caused traditional activities like bayramlaşma to lose their former meaning in the public eye. The absence of bayram yerleri as integral components of urban social fabric makes it increasingly difficult for both individuals and collective memory to maintain the habit of gathering to celebrate these cultural events.