Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, addressed the topic of 'Ramadan Bayram' in his Hürriyet Aile column this week.
Holidays are among the most important values that keep society together. National and religious holidays, which keep social memory fresh, also create spaces where society feels safe. The transmission of holidays from generation to generation is very important for the future of society.
As we leave another Ramadan behind, we are experiencing the joy of welcoming Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr). Even after years, the delight of old holidays is never forgotten. Perhaps that unforgettable aspect of holidays was hidden in the new clothes we got for the holiday, and in those moments when we kissed the hands of our elders and received holiday pocket money.
All holidays that we celebrate together as a nation, especially religious holidays, are among the values that define us. Holidays, which have a very important place in keeping social memory fresh, are a set of values that hold societies together. These are ceremonies and symbols. They are the most important elements of social memory.
Values That Hold Society Together Create a Zone of Security
The greatest characteristic of religious holidays, like national holidays, is their ability to embrace the entire society. There are values that hold society together. This is called a zone of security. This creates a space where society feels secure. This is a situation where there are shared symbols, ceremonies, and common joys. Holidays facilitate the creation of this zone of security.
Cultural Memory Connects with Our Past
Just like individual memory and social memory, there is also cultural memory. Social memory is the active memory we all experience in daily life, but cultural memory is the memory that connects with our past. We take the scenarios from our past. We also take today's experienced social memories and develop our own culture. Therefore, memory is an organic whole. Just as in an individual, social memory is also organic. Cultural memory is also a part of that organic whole.
Shared rituals, ceremonies, and common experiences like holidays form very important tools in making society a society and ensuring its transmission to future generations. We know that some traditions originated from Central Asia. One of these, Nevruz Bayram (Nowruz/Newroz) on March 21st, is also among the traditions from Central Asia. In fact, holidays are also among these ceremonies. Kaşgarlı Mahmud provides information in his work about what the word 'Bayram' means among Turks. He uses the word 'Bedhrem' as the equivalent of 'Bayram'. It means 'joyful day'. Holidays are also related to identity construction. For example, two people get married. Both have life scenarios related to the family environment they lived in. When two people come together, they become a new family. A safe space is formed. A new abstract identity is created. We need to take our life scenarios from the past, bring them to today, and adapt them. Neither side should expect the other to change. If it is insisted that 'My father was such a person, you should act like that too. My mother was such a person, you should act like that too,' that marriage will not work. So, what will happen? Just as in our individual memory, we need to take our past scenarios and change them as we live them in today's life, because the actors have changed.
Strong Social Memory for a Strong Society
If a person has mental flexibility, they can bring their past cultural accumulations and rewrite their life scenario according to the current situation. This situation is also related to the person's level of development and maturity. If so, they actually create a common security zone, a common identity. When we ignore our past, we feel the need to search for it. If you take a person to a deserted island and say, 'We are erasing your entire past,' that person must invent a past for themselves. They invent legends, stories, etc., and construct a past for themselves. If they don't construct a past, they cannot form the present. The same applies to societies. For a strong society, social memory must also be strong.
Holidays Must Be Transmitted to Future Generations
Keeping alive the holidays that come from yesterday, entrusted to us by previous generations, and transmitting them to future generations, should be among our most important duties.
It is very important that children are shaped by social and cultural values during their growth process, and that we can raise them in accordance with the cultural values of the society they live in. Remaining an 'I' while becoming a 'we,' that is, teaching our children to be global citizens while preserving their national identity, is what we need to do. If you try to become a global citizen without preserving your national identity, we raise them, and they go to Germany, to America. They serve the economy there. We cause a brain drain. To avoid a brain drain, we need to raise children who embrace national values. It is necessary to embed our own cultural values, the values that the Republic has added and brought to us, and a future vision into the child's developing and active memory. For our future, it is also essential that our children hold national values in one hand and computers and technology in the other.
I congratulate you on the upcoming Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr) in advance; and on this occasion, I wish you holidays filled with health, happiness, and peace.