Victory Day (), also known as Turkish Armed Forces Day (), is a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

commemorating the decisive victory in the

Battle of Dumlupınar The Battle of Dumlupınar (, ), or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief () in Turkey, was one of the important battles in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) (part of the Turkish War of Independence). The battle was fought from 26 ...

, on 30 August 1922. It is also observed by

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

Background

The holiday commemorates the decisive victory in the

, the last battle in the Greco-Turkish War, on 30 August 1922. Following the battle, Greek military presence in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

ended. Victory Day has been celebrated as an official holiday since 1926, and was first celebrated on 30 August 1923.

Customs

Victory Day is celebrated across Turkey and in

and is a celebration of the Turkish Armed Forces. The main celebration is held at Anıtkabir in Ankara, where the

President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...

leads officials in laying wreaths and then delivers the keynote address. One of the big commemorative events is also held at the War Academy in Istanbul, with all military promotions made on this day, while parades are held in major cities across the country with Ankara also hosting a national parade in honor of the holiday, currently small scaled, previously the national parade, in the presence of the President, was one of the biggest in Eurasia. August 30 is also the traditional the day of graduation ceremonies of military schools in Turkey - however the actual date in recent years has been before the 30th. The Turkish Stars performs an airshow over Dumlupınar. In the evening, holiday concerts are held in major cities to honor the men and women of the Armed Forces. President of Turkey, acting as the Commander-in-chief, hosts an event at the Presidential Complex.

Celebration gallery

File:BA-6 at parade, Ankara.jpg, A Turkish soldier on a BA-3/6 during a military parade in Ankara (1935) File:Street scenes in Lefkoşa.jpg, Victory Day celebrations in

North Nicosia North Nicosia or Northern Nicosia ( ; ) refers to the largest settlement and the ''de facto'' capital of Northern Cyprus. It is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia, and is governed by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. , North Nicos ...

, Northern Cyprus (2006) File:President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Victory Day Turkey 2014.JPG, President

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

greets people during a parade (2014)

References

External links

* {{Public holidays in Turkey

Public holidays in Turkey Public holidays in Northern Cyprus August observances Annual events in Turkey Summer in Turkey Recurring events established in 1926 1926 establishments in Turkey

Background

Customs

Celebration gallery

See also

References

External links