Mawlid
24 August 2026 · movable holiday — May the light of this night warm your heart.
Mevlid Kandili is the night on which Muslims remember the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. It falls on the night before the 12th of Rabi al-awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar. In Turkey, mosque minarets are lit up and people exchange greetings wishing a blessed Mevlid Kandili. A central tradition is the recitation of the poem Mevlid, written by the Turkish poet Süleyman Çelebi in the early 15th century. It is read in mosques and homes, often with sweets and sherbet shared afterwards. The rose has a special place in Turkish poetry as an image of love and reverence. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and its year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, the holiday moves through the seasons. Traditionally, each Islamic month begins with the appearance of the new crescent moon, while in Turkey the start is set in advance by astronomical calculation. So the sky is directly tied to this observance. Views on marking the occasion differ among Muslims, while in Turkey it remains a cherished tradition.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and fine lines like a constellation: a small hanging oil lamp (kandil) with a soft glow, and beside it a blooming rose drawn in star points, drifting slowly across the night sky
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