Many countries celebrate Children’s Day. The purpose of celebrating it is “children are our future.” Turkey is a country where people pay more attention to a new generation, it is based on their local mentality.
Foreigners are often puzzled if their children are paid great attention by people in hotels or on the streets but in Turkey, it is totally normal. Any stranger on the street or in dolmus can caress baby’s cheek or even kiss a cute baby, give a candy or say a compliment to parents.
Turks have their own children, too pampered, well, or at least a little punished. It is considered a great sin to hurt or hit the child. Despite giving freedom to the youth, education is perfectly acceptable, primarily because of the positive moral qualities are cultivated, not only at home but also in education. Turkish families tend to have many children, the norm is the presence of three or more children. It is interesting that the state does not use special incentives to increase the birth rate, but does not limit it. In Turkey, there is a special festival dedicated to children which are called Çocuk Bayramı. The date of the national celebration is April 23. Children’s Day is celebrated in honor of the first convocation of the Grand National Assembly in Ankara in 1920 for the preparation of the national liberation war, which was the first step of the republican regime. Under the will of the first president of the Turkish Republic Kemal Ataturk, who believed that the future of the nation is based on the youth and the adult part of the nation should give up their authority for a while. The main streets and school grounds are decorated with flowers, balloons and traditional portraits of the leader, and Turkish flags. This festival is usually held in secondary schools. Pupils are selected by deputies, ministers, mayors. Some of them are allowed to work in the personnel department. The students with school uniform often make parade by walking on the street through columns. During the holiday, there will be various types of the conferences, seminars as well as concerts where will be lots of children from different backgrounds. Leadership training institutions organize excursions and accommodation for international children to get a chance to live in Turkish families for being acquainted with Turkish culture. Typically, these children attend Turkish schools in his homeland, where they learn every subject in Turkish to learn the local language and national traditions.
Parents also try to do their bests by giving the gifts as well as sweets to make their children enjoy the holiday. Most of the families often go to cafes, restaurants or beaches right after official celebrations.
