23.04.2026 10:22
Today is a special day when our nation took its destiny into its own hands, and it was declared to the whole world that sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation. With the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on April 23, 1920, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk entrusted sovereignty to its true owners, the nation, while gifting his greatest legacy to the future, that is, to children. Exactly one year after the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, April 23 began to be celebrated as National Sovereignty and Children's Day.
April 23rd was declared a national holiday by law on April 23, 1921, one year after the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The first article of the two-article law clearly states that the day the Assembly was opened is a national holiday, while the second article emphasizes that the responsibility for implementation belongs to the Assembly. This decision entered into force after being published in the Official Gazette dated May 2, 1921.
The opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on April 23, 1920 THE FIRST AND ONLY HOLIDAY IN THE WORLD DEDICATED TO CHILDREN Starting from 1921, children took center stage in ceremonies on April 23rd. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gifted this holiday to children in 1929, also declaring April 23rd as Children's Day. Thus, the holiday became the first and only holiday in the world dedicated to children.
EMPHASIS ON NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND LEGAL REGULATIONS Although November 1, 1922, the date when the sultanate was abolished, was referred to as "National Sovereignty Day" for a period, these celebrations gradually lost their significance. With the law enacted on May 27, 1935, April 23rd was redefined as "National Sovereignty Day." The same regulation stipulated that the holiday would begin on the afternoon of April 22nd and continue throughout April 23rd.
TRADITIONS AND SYMBOLIC HANDOVER OF THE SEAT During his tenure, Atatürk hosted children in his office during April 23rd weeks. This tradition spread among state officials in later years and turned into a symbolic practice where children symbolically sat in the official seats.
THE HOLIDAY TAKES ON AN INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION In 1979, with the participation of six countries, April 23rd gained an international character and transformed into a globally celebrated event with children from different countries coming to Turkey each year. With the legal amendment made in 1983, the name of the holiday was updated to "National Sovereignty and Children's Day," gaining its current meaning.
The first April 23rd celebrations from the GNAT archive: