29 OCTOBER-REPUBLIC DAY : Hello I am Hazal and I want to introduce our national holidays.

We have four national holidays: Republic Day, Victory Day, National Sovereignty and Childrens Day and Youth and Sports Day. Children celebrate these days in their schools or in a big stadium. They prepare different shows, dance, read poems and sing and march. Also students decorate their classes with balloons, flags and some colourful materials. These days mean a lot to Turkish people. Many people in Turkey celebrate Republic Day on October 29 by attending performances and participating in traditional processions with flags and musical bands. The Turkish Republics founder Mustafa Kemal Atatrk proclaimed Republic Day as Turkeys most important day. Many people go to local stadiums on October 29 to watch performances dedicated to Republic Day in Turkey. Such performances usually consist of theater sketches, poetry readings and traditional Turkish dances. Many school children participate in school performances for parents and teachers. Parades may take place in some cities and politicians may give public speeches on this day. Many people also lay wreaths to Atatrks monuments or visit Atatrks mausoleum in the countrys capital, Ankara.

23 APRIL NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CHILDREN'S DAY

This national day (23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day) in Turkey is a unique event. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation. It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, Ataturk started his task of establishing the institutions of the new state. Over the next eight years, Ataturk and his followers adopted sweeping reforms to create a modern Turkey, divorced from her Ottoman past. In unprecedented moves, he dedicated the sovereignty day to the children and entrusted in the hands of the youth the protection of this sovereignty and independence.

MAY 19 COMMEMORATION OF ATATURK, YOUTH AND SPORTS:

The Commemoration of Atatrk, Youth and Sports Day, or simply Atatrk Commemoration (Atatrk Anma) or Youth and Sports Day (Genlik ve Spor Bayrami), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to memorialize the start of the Turkish War of Independence. May 19, 1919 is the day Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, then Mustafa Kemal, who would become independent Turkeys first president, landed on the main peninsula of Turkey to begin leadership of the liberation effort. He dedicated that day to the youth. In early 1920, Kemal convened the first Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, and by 1922 all of Anatolia was freed from foreign rule. The independent Republic of Turkey was declared a year later. During the course of his term as president, Atatrk himself proclaimed May 19 as "Youth and Sports Day." In the aftermath of Atatrk monumental legacy the day serves to honor the countrys founder.

AUGUST 30 VICTORY DAY:

Military parades and ceremonies at monuments to Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, who founded the Turkish Republic, are some common ways to celebrate Victory Day in Turkey. Turkish flags often adorn shops, public offices and people's houses on this day. Many people in Turkey celebrate Victory Day by attending military parades, which take place in many big cities throughout the country. Air forces celebrate the day with demonstration flights. The jets involved in such flights usually leave a red-and-white trail, symbolizing the Turkish flag.

Hazal Bektas ( 7th Class )