Turks celebrate Eid holidays, flock to resort towns

ISTANBUL

Turkey is celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the second most important religious festivity after Eid al-Fitr.

For the second year in a row, millions of people across Turkey are marking the holiday under the shadow of the pandemic, but with lighter protective measures compared to last year.

Following the rituals of Eid, people will perform religious slaughter of sheep and cattle on this day to share the meat among family members and serve it to the poor. Usually, people perform religious slaughter in slaughterhouses or spaces allocated by city administrations.

However, many people, who will not celebrate the feast with traditional methods, have planned to flock to summer resorts during the Eid holidays, which were extended to nine days by the decision of the Turkish authorities.

Millions of Turkish people have already hit the road to stop by in coastal provinces to enjoy sunny weather, beach and sea during the holiday period.

Reportedly, there are no empty hotel rooms left in the northern Aegean resort towns, especially in the Aegean island of Bozcaada. More so, the situation has led to rooms being sold on the black market, making it nearly impossible to find a room cheaper than 1,000 Turkish Liras ($116) per night.

Prices have also increased by almost three times compared to last year due to the increasing crowd in restaurants, cafes and other tourist facilities.

As scores of people are flocking the beaches, finding sunbeds and umbrellas on the beaches has become difficult, with their prices reaching as high as 70 liras [$10] for a day’s rent this year.

Another notable factor is that there is no place to set up tents in the camping areas on the island, and ferry services have been taking place with great intensity.

Moreover, a great number of local tourists were also seen along the sandy shoreline of the other resort towns in the Aegean region, relaxing and having a picnic with their family members.