Planning to visit Turkey in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Turkey - fast and easy with TurkishClass101!
| March 8, 2019 | International Women’s Day |
| April 23, 2019 | National Sovereignty and Children’s Day |
| May 1, 2019 | Labor and Solidarity Day |
| June 15, 2019 | Eid al-Fitr |
| August 20, 2019 | Sacrifice feast |
| October 29, 2019 | Republic Day |
| November 10, 2019 | Atatürk Remembrance Day |
How well do you know holidays in Turkey?
In this article, you learn all about the top Turkey holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Turkish vocabulary for popular holidays in Turkey too!
That way, you can easily talk about Turkish holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Turkish culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Turkey holidays.
International Women’s Day, a day on which to recognize women and their mark on the world, and to show women appreciation, is often marked with rallies and marches in Turkey.
National Sovereignty and Children’s Day was dedicated to orphans after the First World War. “The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation,” or in Turkish Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu, in 1979 organized the first TRT International Children’s Festival. Children from all over the world were invited to Turkey as part of the festival program and hosted by volunteer families during the activities, which was why the festival became internationally recognized. Nowadays, children still come from all over the world to participate in a contest where they present their national dance and local dresses.
Just like everywhere else in the world, in Turkey May 1’s Labor and Solidarity Day is sometimes marred by historical incidents. The most tragic mass protest took place on May 1, 1977. Hundreds of thousands of workers and laborers held a protest in “Taksim Square,” or in Turkish, Taksim Meydanı. During a speech by the President of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Union, someone opened fire on the crowd, shooting from one of the rooftops around the square. As a result of the stampede, several people were killed and injured.
Eid al-Fitr is the last day of Ramadan. On the day of the feast, waking up early is a tradition. It’s important to be clean, so men visit the hairdresser before the feast. Families buy presents for each other—for example, new clothes called bayramlık, or other items. Family elders give “pocket money,” or bayram harçlığı, to the younger children in the family, who come to visit their elders and show their respect by kissing their elders’ hands.
The Sacrifice Feast is a religious holiday that lasts four days and takes place about seventy days after the end of Ramadan. During these festivities, animals are sacrificed, food and money are donated to the poor, and people take time out to visit relatives. During the Feast of Sacrifice, just like during Ramadan, people visit their older relatives and greet them by kissing their hands, after which the older relatives will typically give the visiting children some money. However, unlike during Ramadan, people serve meat-based dishes instead of desserts.
Republic Day is celebrated every year on October 29. Upon the conclusion of the First World War, the “Turkish Grand National Assembly,” or Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi, put an end to the Ottoman Empire that had ruled for 624 years. Declaring a republican administration on October 29, 1923 the people were finally given a democratic government.
Special activities celebrating this day are also quite common at schools, and classes and corridors are decorated with flags.
Every year, November 10 is the occasion on which Turks commemorate Atatürk’s life, success, reforms, and principles. He’s the one who created a republic out of the corrupted Ottoman Empire. Every year on “November 10,” in Turkish 10 Kasım, for a minute in the morning sirens will sound throughout the country. All traffic stops, drivers and travelers get out of vehicles, and people in their offices also take a break and stand up in a sign of reverence. Life stops at this time and while the sirens wail, everybody in the country stands up as a gesture of respect, keeping “one minute’s silence,” or in Turkish bir dakika saygı duruşu. Following the sirens, in schools and government agencies, people will sing the National Anthem.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Turkish holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Turkish on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Turkish culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Turkey. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Turkish, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Turkish movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Turkish sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Turkish, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Turkish friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Turkish pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Turkey. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Turkish friend who can help you. Or, you can start with TurkishClass101, for free!
Holidays in Turkey can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Turkish! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Turkish lessons here on TurkishClass101 before you go on holiday to Turkey. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to TurkishClass101 in a hurry to get to Turkey, study Absolute Beginner Turkish for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Turkish can go!
TurkishClass101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Turkish through TurkishClass101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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