National Sovereignty
and Children’s Day
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day is
a national holiday created by combining three
other holidays. In the beginning “Children
Day” was another day, and “National
Sovereignty” and “April 23 Holiday” were
separate holidays, they were combined as
“Children Holiday”.
to all the world’s children, is celebrated with
the same enthusiasm. So, what is the story of
this date,? Here is the story of April 23
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day...
April 23 is the public holiday in Turkey as the
GNAT was opened on the same day in 1920.
With the help of Atatürk’s leadership, the
GNAT was opened within a short period and it
started to work for the proclamation of the
Republic.
On 23 April 1920, during the War of
Independence, the Grand National Assembly
met in Ankara to begin to lay the foundations
of the new Turkish republic after the end of
the Ottoman Empire.
To mark the event, 23 April was proclaimed a
national holiday in 1921.
April 23 is children day and it is related
to the opening of the The Grand National
Assembly; however, the opening of the GNAT
was celebrated separately from children day
until 1981. Children day was first celebrated in
1927.
The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk, declared 23 April to the
children of Turkey to recognise that children
are the future of the nation. This was the
known history of the April 23 National
Sovereignty and Children’s Day. Atatürk
dedicated this day to all children of the world
When is National Sovereignty
and Children's Day?
National Sovereignty and Children's Day is a
national festival in Turkey, always celebrated
on 23 April.
The holiday commemorates the first opening
of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey at
Ankara in 1920.
Since 1927 it has also become Children's Day.
In 1979, UNICEF recognised this important
national day as an international event.
We wish it would be celebrated forever…
History of National Sovereignty and
Children's Day
Every year, April 23 National Sovereignty and
Children’s Day, which Atatürk made a present
Written and Edited by;
Aysel Ercan & Mehmet DANIŞ
ERZİN ATATÜRK SECONDARY SCHOOL