There are several national and religious festivals celebrated in Turkey. National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23 honors children and commemorates the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The Ramadan Festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan with family visits, prayers, charity, and sweets. Hidirellez on May 5-6 is a spring festival celebrating the meeting of Saints Hidir and Ilyas and symbolizing rebirth, health, and wishes written on trees.

1. NATIONALNATIONAL
FESTIVALS INFESTIVALS IN
TURKEYTURKEYTURKEYTURKEY
NATIONALNATIONAL
FESTIVALS INFESTIVALS IN
TURKEYTURKEYTURKEYTURKEY

2. FEATURES OF FESTIVALS
.There are national, religious and seasonal festivals in Turkey.
. National and relious festivals are also official holidays.
.All the festivals are celebrated enthusiastically by Turkish
people.people.
. Special days make relations stronger.
FEATURES OF FESTIVALS
.There are national, religious and seasonal festivals in Turkey.
. National and relious festivals are also official holidays.
.All the festivals are celebrated enthusiastically by Turkish
. Special days make relations stronger.

3. NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY &
CHILDREN’S DAY
( 23rd APRIL)
NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY &
CHILDREN’S DAY
( 23rd APRIL)

4. NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY
&
CHILDREN’S
SOVEREIGNTY
CHILDREN’S DAY
23rd April is one of the most
unique festivals in the world as
it was dedicated only to
children by Mustafa Kemal
ATATÜRK ,the great Turkish
Leader and the founder ofLeader and the founder of
Turkish Republic. Also,
Turkish Grand National
Assembly was opened on this
day.

5. The Festival intends to
contribute creation of a
world where children can
live peacefully by
developing sentiments of
fraternity, love andfraternity, love and
friendship.

6. CELEBRATIONS
• There are political
celebrations all over
Turkey, especially in
Ankara, the capital city.
Turkey, especially in
Ankara, the capital city.
Children take seats in the
Turkish Parliament and
symbolically govern the
country for one day.

7. In other cities there
are celebrations
prepared by children
at stadıums. They
perform shows andperform shows and
dances. Also there
are parades.

8. SYMBOLS
A circle or globe symbolizing the WORLD
A group of children holding hands symbolizing
Turkish flag symbolizing TURKISH STATEHOOD
the WORLD.
A group of children holding hands symbolizing UNITY.
TURKISH STATEHOOD.

9. THE RAMADAN FESTIVAL
(The Sugar
THE RAMADAN FESTIVAL
Sugar Feast)

10. THE RAMADAN FESTIVAL(
This festival is a
religious festival and
it comes after a month
of fasting. The dates of
religious festivals are
changable as they arechangable as they are
calculated according to
the lunar calender.
Therefore this festival
is celebrated 10 days
earlier each year than
the year before.
THE RAMADAN FESTIVAL(The Sugar Feast)

11. CELEBRATIONS
• During Ramadan people come
together, celebrate this holly
month and entertain eachother.
• The Ramadan Feast in Turkey is
a time for visiting relatives and
paying one’s respect to olderpaying one’s respect to older
people. Turkish give away sweets
and desserts during the festival,
and children may watch free
Turkish shadow plays, Karagöz
and Hacivat

12. • Celebrations last three
days.
• People wake up early on
the first day of the
Ramadan Feast and they
put on their best clothes
often bought for this
put on their best clothes
often bought for this
occasion and have a large
breakfast that symbolizes
the end of the fasting.

13. People pay charity (Sadaqat-
ul-fitr), to the poor and the
needy. Afterwards, the men
perform the Bayram prayer
in their neighborhood
mosques. The rest of the
three days people visitthree days people visit
relatives and friends, and
may also go to the
graveyards to pay their
respect to the deceased.

14. During the Sugar Feast the
younger visit the elderly.
Kissing the right hand of the
elderly and placing it on the
forehead is a custom to show
respect and greet them for
the bayram. Also people visit
their neighbours.They greettheir neighbours.They greet
each other by saying
Bayramınız Kutlu/Mübarek
Olsun, meaning “May Your
Feast Be Blessed”.

15. The other activity is the
tradition of children going
around in their
neighborhood, from door to
door and wishing people a
happy bayram. As a reward,happy bayram. As a reward,
they receive candies,
chocolates, or even a small
amount of money.

16. SYMBOLS OF RAMADAN
• A new moon, beginning
of the Ramadan
• Sweets or traditional desserts.
• A cup of Turkish coffee
. Paying visits for respect
and unity.
SYMBOLS OF RAMADAN
Sweets or traditional desserts.

17. HIDIRELLEZ
(5-6 MAY)
HIDIRELLEZ
6 MAY)

18. HIDIRELLEZ
It’s a kind of spring festival
that is celebrated as the day
on which Saints Hızır (Al-
Khidr) and Ilyas (Elijah)
met on the earth.met on the earth.
It is celebrated in Turkey
and throughout the Turkic
world on 5-6 May.
HIDIRELLEZ

19. The day Hıdırellez symbolizes
spring and rebirth of nature.
It is also thought that Saint
Hızır and Ilyas meet on earth
and bring the days full of
hope, health, happiness andhope, health, happiness and
success.
Hızır is believed that he helps
the ones who are in difficulty
and making wishes come true.

20. CELEBRATIONS
At night of the 5th May,
people write their wishes on a
piece of paper and tie them or
ribbons on a wish tree.
Also people draw their wishesAlso people draw their wishes
with stones under a rose tree.
They believe Hızır will see
them and make their wishes
come true.

21. During the day people
organize picnics, come
together and cook traditional
dishes with fun. In the
evening they set a big fire
and jump over it. It is
believed that all illnesses orbelieved that all illnesses or
diseases are warded off all
the year long.

22. SYMBOLS
. Rose tree
. Ribbons or wish papers.
. A big fire.

23. THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
LOVE FROM TURKEY
THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
LOVE FROM TURKEY