Why is April 23 Celebrated as “Children’s Day”?

With the arrival of April 23, many people The opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly He wonders why it is celebrated as children’s day. Why could this special day, which was gifted by Atatürk to all children, regardless of religion, language or race, be dedicated to children?

Here’s a quick spoiler before we start: Today, always. children’s day It was not celebrated as such.

April 23, the first national holiday of the Republic of Turkey, has a very important place for us.

The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is one of the most important symbols of the Turkish nation’s struggle for independence and sovereignty. April 23, the opening day of the Parliament, with a law adopted in 1921, It was declared as the first national holiday of our country.

However, if you think that this day was celebrated as children’s day from the very beginning, you were wrong. Because there was no reference to children or national sovereignty in this date. At that time, in official documents, only “April 23 National Day” It was called.

After the abolition of the sultanate in 1922, it began to be celebrated as the National Sovereignty Day on November 1.

However, over time, November 1 was replaced by April 23, when the National Assembly was opened, and thus April 23, National Sovereignty Day It has become celebrated as. With the subsequent change in the law, the initial name “April 23 National Holiday” evolved into “National Sovereignty Day”.

opened in the same period Himaye-i Etfal Societywas an organization that helped orphans and poor children at that time. Especially when the April 23rd holiday approached, the society would speed up its aid campaigns, place advertisements in various media and publish articles in newspapers.

The society, which draws attention with these works, Mustafa Kemal’s He was also appreciated.

So how was April 23 gifted to children?

With the support of Atatürk, this society organized important campaigns, especially on National Sovereignty Holidays, and thus 23 April FeastIt had become a special day commemorated with children.

In 1927, the society named April 23 as “Children’s Day” because it wanted to carry out a comprehensive and official work. This step was welcomed by Atatürk and thus, April 23 was celebrated for the first time as well as the national sovereignty holiday. children’s day It was celebrated as.

Children have been celebrating the holiday with enthusiasm since then.

With the endless efforts of the Himaye-i Etfal Society and the support provided by Atatürk, April 23 became identified with children among the public. From now on, every 23 April without an official naming, “National Sovereignty and Children’s Day” It was celebrated as.

However, with the official regulation made in 1981, this special day was now known as we know it. “23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day” took its final form under the name. Thus, while this holiday emphasized the importance of national sovereignty, it also took its place in the calendar as a special day for children.

April 23 began to be celebrated all over the world, especially since the 1980s. By keeping the legacy left by our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk alive today, we are helping all children and those who remain children. National Sovereignty and Children’s Day We celebrate.

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