First, let’s understand what happened exactly 100 years ago.
The reason why 23 April is recognized as a national holiday in Turkey is that the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was opened on that day in 1920. The appointment of the deputies and their arrival in Ankara occurred very quickly. Parliamentary elections began with Atatürk’s declaration dated 19 March 1920, explaining that a parliament would convene in Ankara and why it should be held. Atatürk’s circular on 21 April announced the date of the parliament’s opening and requested the deputies to come to Ankara. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey was opened in Ankara on 23 April 1920. Only 115 of the 337 deputies previously appointed were able to attend the first meeting of that day (Source: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_Nisan_Ulusal_Egemenlik_ve_Çocuk_Bayramı ).
So, let’s explain how 23 April came to be declared an official holiday after 23 April 1920, the date on which the First Grand National Assembly, representing the will of the Turkish nation, was opened and the Turkish people declared their sovereignty. This holiday was formed by the spontaneous merging of the April 23rd National Holiday, which began to be celebrated on the first anniversary of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s opening, the National Sovereignty Day (first recognized as 1 November after the abolition of the sultanate on 1 November, 1922) and then combined with the 23 April National Holiday in 1935, and the 23 April Children’s Day, declared by the Society for the Protection of Children in 1927 and first held under the auspices of Atatürk. During the 1980 coup, the National Security Council officially named this holiday “April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day” (Source: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_Nisan_Ulusal_Egemenlik_ve_Çocuk_Bayramı ).
Let’s also tell the story of how 23 April became associated with children:
The Role of the Child Protection Agency
The largest share in the celebration of this date as Children’s Day belongs to the Society for the Protection of Children, better known as the Child Protection Agency.
Mehmet Fuat Bey, a physician and member of parliament who founded the Society and served as its general secretary for many years, submitted a proposal to Parliament in early-1922. He requested that stamps belonging to the Society for the Protection of Children be used on 23 April. Thus, revenue from the holiday celebrations was generated through the stamps issued on 23 April 1923. That income was spent on the orphans of our martyrs.
The following year, the sale of badges provided an opportunity to provide income for children in need. Hakimiyet-i Milliye announced the event as follows: “Today is the badge festival of children.” Urging the public to make generous donations, the newspaper in 1926 marked 23 April as “Children’s Day of the Turks.”
1927 was a turning point. The Himaye-i Etfal Society’s board of directors decided to commemorate 23 April as ‘Children’s Day.
‘Children’s Week” was declared in 1929. The week of 23 -30 April in Turkey now belonged to the children. Of course, the holiday would be celebrated on 23 April, but festivities would be held throughout the week for children. In 1933, there was now a child president, if only for a day! By 1935, the official “23 April National Sovereignty Day” and the unofficial 23 April Children’s Day” were being celebrated jointly with ceremonies and events. (Source: https://www.trthaber.com/haber/turkiye/23-nisan-ne-zamandan-beri-bayram-olarak-kutlaniyor-23-nisanin-cocuklara-armagan-edilmesi-478655.html )
Consequently, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day is one of the official holidays of the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In Turkey and the TRNC, as well as in the Republic of Kosovo, it is celebrated as the “23 April National Day of Kosovo Turks.” It was dedicated to the children of the world by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.
Furthermore, the tradition of appointing children to positions of power, which began with Atatürk in 1933, continues today, with children briefly replacing civil servants at the head of state institutions (Source: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_Nisan_Ulusal_Egemenlik_ve_Çocuk_Bayramı ).
The pandemic rendered the celebration more meaningful
This year, neither the pandemic nor all the economic and social problems we have experienced affected the joy of marking exactly a century since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey was laid on 23 April 1920. Everyone celebrated with even greater enthusiasm. This time, instead of taking to the streets, people celebrated from their windows, balconies, terraces, or gardens.
Of course, it was clear from the previous week that such an outpouring of emotion would follow. People began celebrating early on various platforms, sharing various videos, and at precisely 9:00 PM on 23 April 2020, everyone was inviting everyone to join them. My absolute favorite among these invitation videos was the one featuring my dear friend Serkan Koç’s adorable daughter, Mercan, and son, Göknar. I even shared it on my social media channels with the following caption and text:
23 April Message from Princess Mercan and Göknar, the Master of Cheeks!
Happy 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day!
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) was founded exactly 100 years ago. How fortunate we are to have lived to see this day.
As my dear friend Serkan Koç’s sweet children, Mercan and Göknar, say, “Every balcony is a square.”
Here’s that video, which I watch with great pleasure every time:
Then, when the clock struck 9:00 PM on 23 April 2020, magnificent images emerged. Here are some of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KTFRhUZ_bQ
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7thck0
https://www.msn.com/tr-tr/video/hava/balkonlarda-23-nisan-coşkusu/vi-BB1364bQ
We will emerge stronger!
So, what did I do? While watching the latest episode of “Casa de Papel” at home, I turned off the television. I opened the garden gate. We made eye contact with the porcupines and cats eating the food I’d placed in the garden. I didn’t go out into the garden much so as not to disturb them. My neighbor next door was shouting and singing the national anthem with great enthusiasm with his family. I listened to them with a smile and thought to myself:
In the second century of the Republic of Turkey, we, as a country, will have a strong and dynamic structure that has a positive impact worldwide and makes a significant contribution to humanity and all living things. We will continue the path blazed by the Great Leader Atatürk, always building on it.
We will emerge from this global pandemic stronger as a country and personally. Let no one doubt this.
Tag: special days
