Kendra's Classroom
Children's day in Turkey
On April 23, 1929, the president of Turkey declared it was National Children’s Day because “Children are our nation’s future”.
Children symbolically hold seats in parliament for the day and they elect a child president who gets to talk to the nation.
The whole country celebrates with festivities that include traditional food, dancing, and singing.
Children from other countries are invited to stay with Turkish families during the weeklong celebration. Those children get to share their traditional food, dances, and songs during the festival too.
Turkey was the first country to nationally recognize a day for children.
Holiday Performance Art:
This video is a traditional Turkish folk dance, called the Brave Warrior dance. This was danced when warriors returned from battle 1700's. Dancers today wear the traditional Turkish garb.
Student Artwork:
Students created drawings of children holding hands around the world, a common theme during Children's day in Turkey.
Holiday Food:
Holiday Song:
Twinkle twinkle little star sung in Turkish is a popular children's song in Turkey.
Traditional Wear
The traditional wear for Children's day in Turkey is known for its bright and richly colored fabrics.