Over 800 children from 40 different countries celebrated the 99th anniversary of the first gathering of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey with official ceremonies held around the country.
The children are hosted by public broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) every year as part of the ceremonies. The celebrations are held every year on 23 April and are called National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
The little guests stay with Turkish families during their visit and participate in celebrations in different cities. The official program has noted that 800 children from 40 different countries visited Turkey this year. Children performed folkloric dances in traditional clothes and had a chance to meet and play with their peers from Turkey.
All elected and appointed administrative officers in Turkey from local and national level leave their seats symbolically to children to rule for one day on 23 April.
Istanbul’s newly elected mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was one of them this year. Imamoglu left his seat to a 5th-grade student, shared pictures about the festival on social media and announced increasing green areas and cultural activity centers and caring for street animals were initial decisions made by children who took municipal council members’ seats.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also left his chair to a 6th-grade student Ozan Sozeyataroglu, from Ankara. A day-long young president answered the questions regarding daily politics. In Esenler province of Istanbul children from ten different countries baked “peace bread” with flour, they brought from their own countries.
On 23 rd April 1920 Grand National Assembly of Turkey opened its doors as one of the most important steps towards the establishment of a modern republic with 115 members.
The commemoration of this significant date was first celebrated in 1925 by a Children’s charity founded by Atatürk. In 1927 Mustafa Kemal allocated a large area in Ankara for the festival’s activities.
The 23rd of April was first officially accepted as National Sovereignty day in 1935 and devoted to the world’s children. It has been celebrated as an international children festival since 1979. Turkey is the first and only country that gifted a festival to the world’s children at an international level.
The post Turkey celebrates Grand National Assembly by hosting children from around the world appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/04/24/turkey-celebrates-grand-national-assembly-by-hosting-children-from-around-the-world/
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