Turkey has a very colorful culture. Cuisine, dance, traditions, and architecture make the country a cultural mosaic. An essential part of this culture is holidays. There are two types of holidays in Turkey: Religious and national holidays.
Religious Holidays
Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha are religious holidays. Ramadan and Eid al-Adha have been celebrated since the second year of the Migration. Unlike national holidays, since religious holidays are arranged according to the lunar calendar, each year comes 10 days earlier than the previous year. The last day of the feast is called purgatory. Eid al-Fitr starts on the first day of the month of Shawwal and lasts three days. Eid al-Adha begins on the 10th day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah and lasts four days. Eid al-Fitr is a holiday celebrated at the end of obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Eid al-Adha is a religious holiday that has been carried to the present day since the time of the Prophet Abraham. This holiday comes from sacrifice worship. It is a holiday in which the sacrifices of the Muslims who can afford them are distributed to the poor, and they do not deprive them of eating meat. This increases the sense of solidarity among Muslims.
On the first morning of the religious holidays, men go to the mosque to perform the eid prayer. Eid is celebrated by visiting relatives and friends. Families buy new clothes for their children, clean their homes and prepare special holiday foods.
National Holidays
Many national holidays came to the country after successive victories during the war period. After the Turkish people expelled the enemies from the country thanks to a great struggle and devotion, they started to celebrate the special days of the War of Independence as national holidays.
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day: During the National Struggle in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was opened under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk believed that during the National Struggle, decisions should be made jointly by the people. Thus, the deputies representing the people gathered in the parliament. The parliament was opened on April 23, 1920, while Atatürk gifted this day to children.
Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day: Atatürk went to Samsun on May 19, 1919, to start the National Struggle. Thus, Turkish citizens began to fight against enemies all over the country. Later, Atatürk gifted this day to young people.
Victory Day: Turkish citizens, who came together with the Grand National Assembly, became much stronger under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The date on which the enemies were defeated by winning the War of Independence is August 30, 1922. That is why August 30 is celebrated every year as Victory Day.
Republic Day: After winning the War of Independence, the Republic began under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who stated that the country should not be ruled by one or a few people, but the people as a whole. Such a momentous day started to be celebrated as Republic Day every year on October 29.
July 15 The Day of Democracy and National Unity: There was a coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. However, that great spirit that the Turkish nation came together in difficult times was revived. Thanks to the unity of the people, this difficulty was overcome. This important day is celebrated every year as the day of democracy and national unity.
