Traditional Eid in the village
The inhabitants of Akyar village of Gercüş district of Batman are also live full of Eid as it is the month of Ramadan.
The inhabitants of the village of Akyar (Mervanîyê) of Batman's Gercüş (Gercewsê) district live the full eid as if it were in the month of Ramadan.
The village residents, who spent Ramadan in a spiritual atmosphere where there is no resentments, are having eid in peace and happiness like old days.
The village imam, Lokman Avcı, said that they lived the full Ramadan month and have the eid in the villages in the best way.
Village residents are invited to the mosque with Takbirs
Avcı said, “We read the morning adhan according to the calendar on the time of imsak. We wait about 15 minutes for the mosque community to arrive. Participation is better than village population. After we have done our prayers in the morning, we go home because we have a lot of time for the eid prayer. We are doing our holiday preparations. After breakfast we come to the eid and saying takbirs when it is half an hour to the prayer.”
“Everyone visiting all homes and wish merry eid”
Expressing that they have wishing merry eid in the mosque after the prayer and then visiting the cemetery together with all the villagers, Avcı continued as follows:
“After celebrating the eid of our dead in the cemetery, we are reading and praying to the surah of Yasin. After the cemetery visit some of them go to their homes to welcome the guests. Some of them visits all the houses. Everyone goes through all houses and celebrate eid. Alhamdulillah, there is no offended and resentment in our village. Our eid passing in a great way. The villagers congratulate each other until 10:00. This is how morning of eid finishes. After the celebrations are over, everyone visits the family elders in a special way and wish merry their eid. Those who live out of the village, in other places, visit houses.”
Avcı said that they had a full program of the eid, said, “During celebrating eid, candies are essential for the eids. Apart from candies, fruit, sweet and drink varieties are served until lunch. After that, whoever prepared food, serve for guests. Especially the eid of the sick and the elderly is not neglected in any way. In this way our eid is full, good and beautiful.”
“We keep our traditions and spend our eids”
Osman Gulen, the head of the village, said, “We spent our Ramadan month very beautifully. We celebrate the eid Alhamdulillah today. We spend our eid celebrating like the traditions of old times. Our eid start by coming to the mosque in the morning. After prayer and khutbah, young and old people, all the people in the village celebrate each other's Eid in the mosque. We do our cemetery visit after the wishing merry eid. After the Qur'an which is read in our cemetery visit and the prayers done, we start to move around the houses. We do not allow resentment in our village. There is no resentment either. From time immemorial these rules are continuing. Our predecessors have left us these beautiful moral values. From the beginning of the village to the end we celebrate everyone's eid. All the peasants are like brothers to each other.”
Mehmet Şah Avcı, a village shepherd who does not neglect animals even on the day of eid, says, “I live in the village and I am the shepherd of my village. Alhamdulillah the eid came after a hard time, we are joyful. Some things cannot be postponed on the day of the eid. We cannot celebrate eid if the animals stay hungry. We have a longing for the bigger eid. Such an eid that there is no border between the ummah, the ummah come together. We are so yearning for such an eid. I am the shepherd of the flocks, and not to be able to do anything. I am calling to the scholars of the Ummah which they are the shepherds of the Ummah. There are works for the scholars to reach this eid.”
Shepherd Avcı who sends salute to the Chairman of the Union of Scholars Molla Enver Kılıçaslan, Chairman of the Siyar Research Foundation Muhammed Emin Yıldırım, Head of Religious Affairs [Diyanet] Mehmet Görmez and President of the World Muslim Scholars Association Yusuf al-Qaradawi, said, “Hearken the voice of this shepherd. When our scholars begin to be salaah, do they return back and say, ‘close the ranks, and smooth.’ Will the Arab, Persian, Shiite, and Sunni behind him do not listen to him? Is it not time for scholar to say, ‘close the rank and smooth,’ for the Ummah. During the prayer [salaah] you can’t say, ‘you are Kurd so lead the salaah, you are Turk so get back, you are Arab so get in last row, you are Shiite get to the other side.’ The prayer will canceled then if these happen. The scholars know well from us.” (Abdurrahman Tetik - ILKHA)