April 23 is National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı in Turkish), which is a public holiday in Türkiye commemorating the nation’s youngsters and the anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Parliament on this date in 1920.
Known as the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), the inauguration of the Turkish Parliament took place during the War of Independence when the foundations for a new secular and modern republic were established as the Ottoman Empire was waning. Even before the republic was formally established in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, dedicated this day to the children of the nation, emphasizing the importance of nurturing and educating the younger generation who would carry forward the values of democracy and sovereignty.
April 23 was declared “National Sovereignty Day” in 1921 and it was celebrated as Children’s Day, making Türkiye the first country to devote a holiday to children. On this day, various events and ceremonies take place throughout Türkiye, with children participating in parades, performances and cultural activities. Schools organize special programs, and children often have the opportunity to take over official governmental roles for the day, symbolizing the trust placed in them as the future leaders of the nation.
In a purely ceremonial ritual, children are offered seats in Parliament and are allowed to take over other official government positions for the day. Most schools will have parades and performances on the day and all public offices will be closed. While most other stores and shops should remain open, many people will be using the opportunity of a national holiday to take an extended vacation. This means holiday hot spots will be gearing up to start the season this weekend with visitors expected to flock down south from all over the country.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye pits teams from all over the world competing on courses that pass by popular tourist destinations. This means that from April 21 to 28, there may be road closures and disruptions in transportation as a result. With cycling routes set up for destinations ranging from Istanbul to Antalya, there will be courses and thus road closures going from Antalya to Fethiye, Marmaris to Bodrum and Izmir.
Check out the Tour of Turkiye website to see whether the tour will be passing by your neighborhood as taking to the streets and rallying on the cyclists as they pass is another fun activity to do with the kids this time of year.
Turks’ special quirks when it comes to kids
One of the greatest cultural differences here in Türkiye is their attitude toward children. Turks adore kids, place them on pedestals, spoil them and indulge them, and in many cases in a way that seems contrary to the expected norms. Turkish kids don’t tend to have strict deadlines, babysitting is not really a thing here and thus when visiting Türkiye, there will be kids everywhere, unless otherwise designated. For Turks, kids are prized possessions and they are treated as much at social events or dining or doing activities outdoors.
For the foreign eye, it may seem that Turkish children are overprivileged as they can take part in almost everything their parents do. Turkish kids can also be loud and excited and unlike other more Western civilizations, Turks do not tend to scold their children for playing, making noise and having fun. The mindset here is that the enjoyment that children are having takes precedence over whether they are disturbing others. Foreign visitors tend to think it’s a personal assault when a child sits close or plays close and their parents allow it. Instead, this is just the culture here as Turks love children and would prefer for them to enjoy themselves rather than not, and they don’t take into consideration that the fervent young energy of kids could be disruptive to others.
In Türkiye, children grow up in a literal or proverbial village. The concept of babysitting is nearly nonexistent and so children tend to be cared for by fellow family members from nuclear to beyond. This means that from a young age, people in Türkiye take on the responsibilities of caring for their relatives’ and community’s children, holding and nurturing them.
The way this shows up is that people will be interested in your child, they will want to help and will be skilled at doing so. Depending on how comfortable you may be, Turks may want to hold your child, play with your child and entertain your child, which may seem like they are receiving overt attention, but trust me, they are not. In Türkiye, it is the norm to fawn over children and make them feel comfortable, safe and loved, which takes precedence over the importance of normal bedtimes, being rowdy at restaurants or beaches and disrupting neighbors.
Cheek pinching is a fun custom here that can seem daunting to those not in the know. Yes, Turks like to pinch children’s cheeks. They do this softly and by using two fingers. Nonetheless, for foreign children unfamiliar with the practice it can be daunting. As a half Turkish child, I remember trying to avoid the cheek pinchers of the neighborhood, until I finally succumbed to the fact that it didn’t really hurt and was fun. But be prepared for people to pinch your child’s cheek, tell you to swaddle them or even pick them up all of which here are just signs of the Turk’s overwhelming love for children.
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