Turkey has two types of public holidays: national secular holidays and religious holidays. Both affect daily life significantly banks close, government offices shut, some businesses operate reduced hours, and the social atmosphere shifts. Knowing what to expect on each prevents the specific frustration of arriving at a government office on a national holiday or being unprepared for Kurban Bayramı.

94a. National secular holidays

Turkeys national secular holidays are fixed calendar dates:

• 1 January New Years Day (Yılbaşı): Banks, government offices, and most businesses closed. Shopping centres and restaurants open. Widely celebrated.
• 23 April National Sovereignty and Childrens Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı): Commemorates the opening of the Grand National Assembly in 1920. Schools closed, public ceremonies. Banks and government offices closed.
• 1 May Labour and Solidarity Day (Emek ve Dayanışma Günü): Public holiday. Demonstrations and marches common in major cities Taksim Square in Istanbul in particular sees significant police presence. Banks and government offices closed.
• 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day: Marks Atatürks landing in Samsun in 1919. Public ceremonies, youth sports events. Banks and government offices closed.
• 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day: Commemorates the 2016 coup attempt. Public ceremonies, mosque announcements late at night. Banks and government offices closed.
• 30 August Victory Day (Zafer Bayramı): Commemorates the Turkish victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar in 1922. Military parades in major cities. Banks and government offices closed.
• 29 October Republic Day (Cumhuriyet Bayramı): The most significant national holiday. Marks the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Fireworks, parades, public ceremonies. Banks and government offices closed for a full day; some close from the afternoon of 28 October.

94b. Religious holidays The two bayrams

Turkey observes two major Islamic religious holidays. Unlike secular holidays, their dates shift each year according to the Islamic lunar calendar moving approximately 11 days earlier each year relative to the Gregorian calendar.

Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) Sugar Festival: Marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month. Lasts 3 days officially (plus the half-day before, called arife). Banks and government offices closed for 3 days. Extended family visits are the central activity expect heavy traffic on roads, fully booked intercity buses and trains in the days before and after. Sweets and chocolate are given to children and neighbours. The greeting is Bayramınız kutlu olsun or İyi bayramlar.

Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) Sacrifice Festival: Marks the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Lasts 4 days officially (plus arife). The most significant Islamic holiday in Turkey. Banks and government offices closed for 4 days. Animal sacrifice (kurban) is performed on the first morning sheep, goats, and cattle are slaughtered according to Islamic ritual. In urban areas this largely happens in designated slaughter areas; in rural and suburban areas it may happen on the street or in car parks. Blood and animal parts on public streets on the morning of Kurban Bayramı are not unusual in less central areas. If this is something you are not prepared for, plan your movements on the first morning accordingly.

94c. What is open and closed during bayrams

• Closed: All banks, all government offices, post offices (PTT), notaries, land registry (tapu) offices, schools.
• Open: Supermarkets (reduced hours), pharmacies (nöbetçi eczane on-duty pharmacies operate on a rotation), petrol stations, hospitals and emergency services, most restaurants in tourist areas.
• Variable: Shopping centres (may open later and close earlier), local shops (owners decision), markets.

If you have a time-sensitive transaction tapu appointment, notary signing, bank transfer, government application do not schedule it the week before or the week after a major bayram. Appointment availability drops sharply before bayrams, and backlogs after mean slower processing times.

94d. The arife day

The half-day before each bayram is called arife. Government offices, banks, and many businesses close at noon or earlier. If your appointment or errand falls on an arife afternoon, it will almost certainly not happen. Check in advance.

94e. Ramadan The month before ramazan bayramı

Ramadan (Ramazan) is the month of fasting that precedes Ramazan Bayramı. For foreign residents:

• Eating, drinking, or smoking in public in conservative areas during daylight hours is not illegal but can cause social friction.
• In tourist areas (Alanya centre, beach areas), normal behaviour continues without restriction.
• Restaurants remain open many offer special iftar (fast-breaking) menus at sunset that are worth trying.
• A drum (davul) may be heard at 03:00-04:00 AM in some neighbourhoods this is the traditional wake-up call for the pre-dawn meal (sahur). It is not an alarm or emergency.
• The atmosphere in the evenings during Ramadan particularly around iftar time at sunset is genuinely warm and festive. Markets, food stalls, and family gatherings create an atmosphere worth experiencing.

94f. What to do and what to avoid as a foreigner

• Say Bayramınız kutlu olsun or İyi bayramlar to your neighbours and local shopkeepers during both bayrams it is received with genuine warmth regardless of your religion.
• If invited to a bayram family gathering, accept if you can it is one of the most authentic Turkish social experiences available to a foreigner.
• Do not schedule critical errands or transactions for bayram periods or arife afternoons.
• Do not photograph animal sacrifice on Kurban Bayramı and post it on social media with negative commentary it is a deeply held religious practice and public criticism from a foreigner will generate hostile reactions.
• On 10 November at 09:05 (Atatürks death anniversary) not a public holiday but observed nationally A moment of silence is held. Sirens sound, people stop, some drivers stop their cars. Stop and be still for the moment. It costs nothing and is deeply appreciated.

EXPERT ADVICE: Turkey has more public holidays than most European countries, and the religious bayrams shut everything for 3 to 4 days at a time. Plan any time-sensitive bureaucratic or financial transaction at least two weeks away from a bayram period. The social dimension of bayrams The greetings, the food, the family atmosphere is one of the genuinely enriching aspects of living in Turkey. Engage with it as a participant, not just an observer. A foreigner who says İyi bayramlar to their neighbours and means it is welcomed into Turkish social life far more quickly than one who treats the holidays as an inconvenient closure.
Sources: T.C. Cumhurbaskanligi Resmi Tatil Takvimi – https://www.tccb.gov.tr | Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi – https://www.diyanet.gov.tr | T.C. Hazine ve Maliye Bakanligi Resmi Tatiller – https://www.hmb.gov.tr

P.S. Covered earlier in the guide. The short version: during Ramazan and religious holidays, be respectful in public spaces. During national holidays, expect banks and government offices to be closed. Plan accordingly and you will never be caught out.