23 April: National Sovereignty and Children's Day

What happened?

After the Allied occupation of Istanbul on 16 March 1920, Mustafa Kemal called for an assembly with extraordinary powers to meet in Ankara.² On Friday, 23 April 1920, after prayers at the Hacı Bayram Mosque, the Grand National Assembly opened.¹ The oldest member, Şerif Bey of Sinop, gave the opening speech, and 115 deputies attended.^2,3 On 24 April Mustafa Kemal Pasha was elected President of the Assembly.^1,4

In 1921 the Assembly made its opening day a national holiday by a short law; it was the new state's first national holiday.⁵ At first it was called National Sovereignty Day (Hâkimiyet-i Milliye Bayramı).⁶

The link with children came through the Children's Protection Society (Himaye-i Etfal Cemiyeti), founded in Ankara on 30 June 1921; its 1927 statute named 23 April "the society's children's day".⁵ On 24 April 1927 the newspaper Hâkimiyet-i Milliye reported "Children's Day Celebrated with Joy".⁶ In 1929 the day grew into a Children's Week.⁵

Law No. 2739 of 1935 merged the two days into a holiday of a day and a half, starting on the afternoon of 22 April.⁵ Today the holiday rests on Law No. 2429 of 17 March 1981, which repealed the 1935 law. Its current wording, "National Sovereignty and Children's Day", comes from an amendment of 20 April 1983 (Law No. 2818).⁷

Why it matters

23 April marks the day an assembly with extraordinary powers met in Ankara while Istanbul was under occupation.² At the 1922 celebrations, Mustafa Kemal called it "the beginning of national history" for Türkiye.³

The day was given to children so that new generations would learn its meaning.⁵ When the United Nations declared 1979 the International Year of the Child, the day took on an international character, with TRT taking part and children from other countries invited.⁵

Our note: sharing a parliament's opening day with children is a fine way of saying that sovereignty is passed on to the next generation.

Gelibolu's link

When the Assembly opened, Gelibolu (Gallipoli) was under occupation: British troops had entered the town on 30 November 1918.¹⁰ The Greek army occupied it on 4 August 1920, about three and a half months after the opening.¹⁰ Three weeks before the opening, Şakir (Kesebir) Bey, deputy for Gelibolu, had chaired the Lüleburgaz Congress against the occupation of Thrace (31 March 1920).¹⁰

In the first Assembly, Gelibolu's deputy was Celâl Nuri (İleri).¹³ Elected for Gelibolu to the last Ottoman parliament on 22 November 1919, he was exiled to Malta after the occupation of Istanbul.¹¹ Arrested in March 1920, he was not in Ankara when the Assembly opened and could only return in November 1921.¹² Back on 3 November 1921, he took his seat as deputy for Gelibolu, and on 10 February 1922 he was elected chair of the Constitutional Committee.¹¹

Gelibolu was handed over to the Ankara government on 26 November 1922, and the Assembly's administration was set up in the town at once.¹⁰ Our note: so Gelibolu could first greet 23 April as a free town only in the spring of 1923.

How it is celebrated

In 1975 TRT gave a week to children's programmes, and in 1978 Ankara schoolchildren held a children's assembly in parliament.⁵ The TRT International 23 April Children's Festival began in 1979 with five countries; it was held in Ankara until 2000 and later in cities such as Istanbul, Antalya, İzmir, Bursa, Konya and Gaziantep.⁸ Since 2013 the Ministry of National Education organises the day, and school and street events have replaced stadium shows.³

In 2026 the Assembly held a Children's Special Session: after the Speaker opened it, a sixth-grade pupil chaired it, children sat in the deputies' seats, and they adopted a children's declaration.⁹

In Gelibolu in 2013, the day began with a wreath at the Atatürk Monument in front of the 2nd Corps Command headquarters. Each school then held its own celebration.¹⁶ In 2025, after the ceremony at the 2nd Corps Command, poems and folk dances followed at Gelibolu 75. Yıl Cumhuriyet İlkokulu, and at Fener Meydanı the municipality handed out kites and children rode ponies.¹⁵

In 2026, the 106th anniversary, the district director of education laid the wreath with pupils. Poems, folk dances and contests followed at 26 Kasım İlkokulu, and the district governor (kaymakam), the 2nd Corps commander and the mayor joined the closing flag show.¹⁴

Good to know

• 23 April is a public holiday; public offices are closed.⁷
• The holiday covers 23 April only. Unlike Republic Day, there is no half-day off on the afternoon before.⁷
• 2026 marked the 106th anniversary of the Assembly's opening. Anniversaries are counted from 23 April 1920.¹⁴
• Right after 23 April come the Gallipoli commemorations: an international ceremony at the Şehitler Abidesi (Martyrs' Memorial) on 24 April and a dawn service at Anzak Koyu (Anzac Cove) on 25 April. Check the programme before visiting the peninsula.¹⁷