Labor Day

This holiday in Turkey has a long history. At the same time they began to celebrate May 1 quite recently. The reason is the Turkish authorities did not want to declare this day a public holiday for a long time, and the trade unions didn’t agree with them. Turkey in general is the country of very strong trade unions; their labor movement is highly developed. Therefore, the day when May 1 was declared the official holiday in Turkey, was, in fact, a national holiday. This is very meaningful in a country where people don’t even celebrate their birthdays...

History

Labour Day was firstly observed in the Ottoman Empire. In 1911 the country aimed at modernization, and there were signs that the government would make this day a public holiday. But then the First World War came. After the war, in which the Ottoman Empire fought on the side of the defeated Germany, the country was literally ruined. Only thanks to Ataturk they managed to revive the state as the Turkish Republic. Already in 1923, May 1 was declared the Labour Day and public holiday. However, two years later, in 1925, Ataturk decided to ban the mass demonstrations of workers. As a result, May 1 was a holiday, but... it was impossible to celebrate it. Then it was allowed and banned for many times. It was only in 2008 (!) when the government finally decided the issue, and May 1 is now celebrated throughout Turkey. The official name of the holiday is the Day of Solidarity and Labour.

Celebration

It may sound paradoxically, but many workers of the country do not celebrate May 1, but... work. The fact is the Turks are very hardworking. They celebrate May 1 only in the evening, after work. They try to be well-dressed and join peaceful demonstrations. As a rule, they are led by union leaders. All participants have red flags and sing marches, written by different Turkish poets of different periods. In Istanbul - this is a city with the largest number of workers in the country - this holiday is celebrated usually at Istiklal Avenue. This pedestrian avenue in the heart of Taksim is blocked and the protesters sing songs, listen to speeches and chant slogans. These demonstrations are rather peaceful, the police presence is necessary only to maintain public order. May 1 in Turkey is a holiday, but not the reason for breaches of public order...

Province

They almost do not celebrate May 1 in Turkish regions. It’s not that there are few workers (there are many of them), just rural Turkey has very strong Islamic position. Muslim people have ironical attitude to any secular holidays, including Labor Day.