A proposal for a law from the AK Party to declare March 21 as 'Nowruz Festival'

14.04.2025 17:26

Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call to declare Nevruz an official holiday, AK Party Istanbul Deputy Serkan Bayram submitted a bill to the Parliament to declare March 21 as an official holiday for Nevruz.

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A new official holiday is being added. AK Party Istanbul Deputy Serkan Bayram submitted a bill to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) for the declaration of March 21 as Nevruz Holiday.

"WE ARE ALWAYS BY THE SIDE OF OUR MEMORIES OF UNITY, TOGETHERNESS, BROTHERHOOD, AND HUMANITY"

Bayram, in his statement regarding the issue, said: "It is our common wish for today to be declared an official holiday for the sake of both our people's expectations and the peace climate prevailing in our country and the world. I expect support from all our parties. I expect support from all our deputies. I would like to express my gratitude in advance to all our party leaders, especially to our President, for the support of your deputies, as the wise Council President Binali Yıldırım. As you know, Nevruz was included in UNESCO's cultural heritage list in 2010. They are also very positively regarded by UNESCO due to the United Nations' peace ambassador efforts. We are always by the side of such unity, togetherness, brotherhood, and humanity memories. And we will always be, God willing."

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN HAD GIVEN A SIGN

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a statement made on March 21, said, "If we were to conduct a public opinion poll here, would you agree to declare March 21 as the holiday of spring and brotherhood?" Erdoğan also stated, "Nevruz is not a holiday of a specific ethnic group; it is the holiday of all our people, with Turks and Kurds, both Alevi and Sunni, and of our entire geography."

WHAT IS NEVRUZ, WHEN IS IT CELEBRATED?

Nevruz, celebrated every year on March 21, is a deep-rooted tradition symbolizing the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature. Throughout history, this holiday has been celebrated by Turkish, Iranian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern peoples and is considered the beginning of the new year.