Türkiye marks Eid in solidarity with quake victims

ISTANBUL

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.

Like every year, thousands of people flocked to Eyüpsultan and Taksim Mosques for Eid prayers.

The crowd that increased with the morning prayer in the early hours overflowed into the courtyard as the Eid prayer time approached.

Those who could not find a place in the mosques performed the prayers in the gardens of the mosques.

Meanwhile, those in the earthquake region affected by the devastating tremor in early February spend the Ramadan feast in sorrow.

In the very early hours of the morning, many of them visited the graves of their relatives who lost their lives in the earthquakes.

Cemeteries were filled in the 11 quake-hit provinces devastated by the twin disaster, while the relatives of those who lost their lives lamented at the graves they covered with flowers and special items.

Graves of some of the children who died in the earthquake at the Malatya Cemetery were covered with blankets, with headstones covered in holiday clothes and their favorite toys placed on their graves.

“Thousands of our people lost their lives in one night. We lost many dreams in one night. We came to visit them today,” stated an earthquake survivor.

“We lost not only our citizens but also our hometown, Adıyaman, where our childhood and dreams were spent.”

Cengiz Balık, whose family died in the southern province of Hatay, stated that the pain of entering Eid without them is indescribable.

“While I was in Istanbul, where I arrived to work, all my family died here in the earthquake. I come here [the cemetery] every day, not on holidays. There is nothing to say; this situation falls short of words,” Balık said.

Meanwhile, volunteers and NGOs in the quake-hit region mobilized to put a smile on peoples’ faces as part of the Ramadan feast and celebrations for National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, marked on April 23.

Some NGOs hold special organizations to entertain children living in tent and container cities.

The Türkiye Jockey Club brought a pony for the children, while the gendarmerie units also distributed holiday candies to them.