Bayram (Idiyye ) Poems in Classical Turkish Literature

Abstract

The poets of Classical Turkish Literature told about social and cultural life of their society in their poetry, by applying an artistic style in line with the rules of the literary tradition in which they inhered. The bayrams (religious holidays) of Ramadan and Kurban, which have a significant place in Turkish society, are the main themes used in bayram poems (idiyye) written in verse styles such as gazelle and quatrain, and especially in the nesib section of the classical kaside. The Bayram understanding of the period, the bayram festivals, games and entertainments are illuminated through an artistic style in these bayram poems written to be presented to the leading figures of the time. The purpose of this article is to determine how the understanding of bayram, the festivals, games and entertainments in old times are reflected in bayram poems (idiyye).