This weekend Türkiye is celebrating its National Sovereignty and Children’s Day on April 23, the date marking the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the first Parliament of the Republic of Türkiye, 103 years ago.
The date, which was proposed by the republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as a gift to children all over the world in 1929, was the day when the festival was celebrated as Children’s Day for the first time.
In 1979, children from many countries began coming to Türkiye, adding an international dimension to the day. Moreover, Türkiye is the first and only country to dedicate a national day to its children.
To mark the day, every year skyscrapers and residential buildings across Istanbul and the country are decorated with giant Turkish flags, while various forms of celebrations, musicals and concerts are held to mark the occasion.
As part of the celebrations, the national broadcaster TRT International Children's Festival will be held for the 45th time this year. It will assemble hundreds of children from 24 countries with their peers.
According to a statement by TRT, it is anticipated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the event themed "Children of the World, One Heart for Türkiye" scheduled for Sunday, April 23 in Istanbul's Başakşehir National Garden.
Separately, in an event already held in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, 12-year-old gifted violinist Atahan Dinç took the stage as a conductor and soloist at the concert held by the Presidency Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on the occasion of National Sovereignty and Children's Day.
Dinç, who showcased his exceptional musical skills through his outstanding performance and interpretation of "Seasons," one of the most celebrated and widely performed compositions of the renowned Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, was highly acclaimed by the audience, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported.
Similarly, festivities in kindergartens, schools and local municipalities are held ahead of the Children's Day festival. In the northwestern Kocaeli province, street festivals will be held for three days between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at designated centers in 12 districts according to local media reports.
The municipality is said to be planning a dual feast for Kocaeli residents this year, as street festivities will be held during the Ramazan Bayram, also known as Eid al-Fitr, which will commence on Friday, April 21 and will last for three days, including the Children's Day.
It was also noted that children's playgroups will be set up across the districts as the municipality aims to bring together children from Kocaeli as well as children who came to the city from the earthquake-hit zones to celebrate the holidays together.
In addition, the national holiday was marked abroad at a "April 23, National Sovereignty and Children's Day" event held at the Turkish Consulate General in Berlin, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Thursday.
Consul General Rıfkı Olgun Yücekök symbolically handed over his seat to Hayal Aşık, Ali Aslan Bulut and Emir Ali Aşık, students at Zeppelin and Mövensee primary schools in Berlin, respectively, as part of the event.
Yücekök reminded that Atatürk gifted this holiday to children and listened to the April 23 messages from children present at the occasion. After the event, various gifts were handed out to the young attendees.
Ahead of Ramazan Bayram and Children's Day, municipalities such as Bursa Metropolitan, relevant humanitarian organizations and firms decided to provide an additional package of relief for children affected by the devastating February earthquakes via bayram gifts and activities in container cities.