Children’s Day

Turkey has long been a secular country, and although the vast majority of its inhabitants profess Islam, worship is not strictly followed. Except for one - the cult of child. Turks are literally addicted - in a good sense of this word - to children. Every man’s dream is to have a family and numerous offsprings. Dreams of women are roughly the same. Turkish people love children, specifically admire their beauty and literally carry children in their arms. If you spend your vacation in Turkey with the child then be prepared your child will be in the centre of attention. Children are pampered, treated to sweets and fruit. They are allowed everything except things which may cause physical harm. They even celebrate "professional" children’s holiday - the Day of the Child in Turkey.

History

The Day of the Child is celebrated in Turkey on April 23; it was officially announced by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Ataturk. Incidentally, this date is significant for the country. On April 23, 1920 members of the National Assembly for the first time brought together in Turkey. It was in Ankara and the country was occupied by Allies forces, but the Turks won their independence back. In honor of this momentous day for the republic Ataturk bequeathed to celebrate Children’s Day on April 23. It was a symbolic gesture, because children are the future of any country... By the way, Turkish families usually have three to five children, despite the fact that there is no government plan to increase the birth rate. There are also no prohibitions or restrictions on the number of children, such as in China.

How to celebrate

On this day Turkey is becoming very beautiful. As a rule, all the streets are decorated, but the Turks especially try to decorate schools, kindergartens, and in general all the buildings, which are connected with the children in one way or another. The city is full of balloons, mostly red (as well as the national flag of Turkey). On April 23 not only parents with pupils go to school, but also different officials of the country: delegates, ministers, prime ministers, president... They all try to visit their schools to congratulate children on the holiday. This day children have a lot of fun and participate in the parades. They organize concerts, fireworks and lots of entertainment.

Presents

According to tradition, this day parents give their children common Turkish sweets and toys. It is difficult to find a free place in a cafe or restaurant: families try to make a feast in the city.