Republic Day
🇹🇷 Türkiye
- Public Holiday
- Countrywide
- Fixed date
Overview
Republic Day, or Cumhuriyet Bayramı, celebrates the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on October 29, 1923. It is one of the country's most important national holidays, honoring the founding of the modern Turkish state and its first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
What It Is
Republic Day is a nationwide public holiday on October 29, and the afternoon of the previous day is also commonly treated as a half holiday. Streets and public buildings are decorated with Turkish flags and portraits of Atatürk. Towns and cities hold ceremonies, parades and concerts, and the evening typically brings fireworks. Schools take part with performances and recitals, and many people lay flowers at monuments to the republic's founder.
Why It Matters
The holiday marks the moment Türkiye replaced the Ottoman system of rule with a republic. Following the War of Independence and the abolition of the sultanate in 1922, the Grand National Assembly proclaimed the republic on October 29, 1923, and elected Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as its first president. The date became a symbol of national sovereignty, secular government and modernization, and it anchors the identity of the modern state that grew from that founding moment.
Holiday in Context
Republic Day belongs to a cluster of national commemorations in the Turkish calendar tied to the founding era, alongside National Sovereignty and Children's Day in April and Victory Day in August. Many countries mark the day they became republics, but each date reflects a different national story; in Türkiye it honors the 1923 proclamation specifically.
Countries Celebrating
1 country
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