On April 23, Turkey celebrates the national holiday of National Sovereignty and Children's Day (tour. Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı).
«Children — flowers of life!» — for every resident of Turkey this expression has a special meaning. One of the national characteristics of the people is their selfless love for the younger generation. Turkish families, as a rule, have many children; the norm is to have three or more children. Interestingly, the state does not apply special incentive measures to increase the birth rate, but does not limit it either.
Turkey has a special holiday dedicated to children, — Children's Day (Çocuk Bayramı). The date of the national celebration is April 23. Children's Day is celebrated in honor of the first convocation of the Grand National Assembly in 1920 in Ankara to prepare for a national liberation war, which was the first step of the republican regime. Therefore, the holiday also has a second name — National Sovereignty Day (Ulusal Egemenlik).
According to the will of the first president of the Republic of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, who believed that the future of the nation was laid in childhood, on this day adults had to give up their authority for a while.
As part of the holiday, concerts and competitions are organized among schoolchildren, as well as seminars, Olympiads and briefings in which children from different countries take part. For them, the management of educational institutions organizes excursions and accommodation in the homes of Turkish families. As a rule, these children attend Turkish schools in their homeland, where, in addition to basic subjects, they study language and national traditions.
Parents also strive to congratulate their children and give them sweets and toys. Many go after official events to cafes or entertainment centers, to the beach or to the mountains.