Children's Day in Turkey

Happy  23rd April National Sovereignty And Childrens Day

April 23 National Sovereignty and Childrens Day which is the day of openning of Grand National Assembly of Turkey is a gift to all the world’s children by Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.                

Today is the 95th Anniversary of the openning of Grand National Assembly of Turkey and we celebrate proudly April 23 National Sovereignty and Childrens Day.

Many people in Turkey commemorate the first gathering of the Grand National Assembly (the Turkish Parliament), which took place on April 23, 1920, by attending local ceremonies or laying wreaths at monuments of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The biggest ceremony takes place at the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara.

Because Ataturk reportedly dedicated the Turkish Republic to children, Turkish schoolchildren take seats in the Parliament for the day and symbolically govern the country. They elect a president who then addresses the country on national television. Children’s festivals take place throughout the country. The state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) brings children, aged eight to 14, from different countries around the world to Turkey. These children stay with Turkish families for a week and participate in children’s festivals, which culminate is a gala-performance on April 23.

National Sovereignty and Children’s Day is an official holiday in Turkey. Government offices, some schools and most businesses are closed on this day. Public transport routes may vary in the event of street performances. The importance of April 23 as a special day of children has been recognized by the international community.UNICEF decided to recognize this important day as the International Children's Day.