Today, 85 million Turkey celebrates a very special public holiday - May 19, the Day of Commemoration of Atatürk and Festival of Youth and Sports.
On this date 105 years ago (in 1919 - note author) Mustafa Kemal, who later adopted the name Atatürk, started the national liberation movement of the Turkish people, BTA recalls.
„The spirit of May 19 is the greatest wealth of this nation, its greatest capital. Hidden in this spirit is the meaning of resisting adversity and fighting together with perseverance, faith and determination. Once again I pay tribute to the memory of all the heroes of our war of independence led by Gazi Mustafa Kemal“ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his holiday message, quoted by TRT Haber.
In the morning, a wreath-laying and worship ceremony was held at Atatürk's mausoleum-tomb in Ankara by a delegation of youth and athletes led by the Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Ashken Bak. Traditionally, thousands of citizens are expected to visit the mausoleum.
In Istanbul, thousands of citizens flock from the morning to the Dolmabahçe Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus, where Atatürk closed his eyes on November 10, 1938.
On the occasion of the holiday, the city train lines in Istanbul and the capital Ankara will carry passengers for free until 12 o'clock at night, announced the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
The Ministry of Defense has prepared a special program for the celebration of Atatürk and the Day of Youth and Sports. 43 ships of the Turkish Navy will dock in 27 ports, where they will be open for public visits.
Istanbul's large municipality, which was won by the Kemalist People's Republican Party for the second time in the local elections on March 31, organized mass initiatives throughout the day in the largest Maltepe Park on the Asian side of Istanbul on the shores of the Marmara Sea. The program includes competitions, sports games, concerts of popular artists and DJs until late at night.
In the majority of municipalities of the metropolis, which were won by the Kemalist party in the last elections, there will be wreath-laying processions, concerts and entertainment. In the evening, cannon salutes and a laser show will be fired from the shore of the Bosphorus.
A parade of the Soloturk aerobatic group of the Turkish Navy will take place in the city of Samsun. Laying of wreaths in front of Atatürk monuments, sports parades and concerts will take place in many cities of the country.
What is the significance of May 19 for Turkey?
On May 16, 1919, Mustafa Kemal Pasha (general in translation - note author) was appointed in Samsun as “inspector of the ninth army” personally by Sultan Vahdettin. On the same day, in the evening, he leaves Istanbul with the ferry "Bandarma" together with 18 officers and military officers who make up the inspectorate.
The task of the inspectorate is to investigate allegations of atrocities by Greek troops against the population in the Black Sea region. However, the real goal of Mustafa Kemal and his associates is to start a national movement of the Turkish people for liberation from the occupiers.
Before they leave the Bosphorus, a British cutter stops them at the Maiden Tower for inspection. Despite a thorough check, they failed to find anything suspicious and allowed them to continue.
So on May 19 "Bandarma" docked safely in the Black Sea port of Samsun. And here Atatürk lit the fire of the movement for the national liberation of the Turkish people from the occupation forces.
Four years later, Atatürk's movement ended with the expulsion of the occupiers from the country and the declaration of the new Turkish state - the secular Republic of Turkey - on October 29, 1923, on the remains of the Ottoman Empire.
May 19 is considered a turning point in the history of the Republic of Turkey in gaining the country's independence. The ferry "Bandarma" in Samsun today has been turned into a museum, which is visited by many people at any time of the year.
The other event is that Atatürk took May 19 as his personal holiday, his birthday, since his birth certificate in 1881 did not include an exact date.
During his lifetime, Atatürk declared May 19 as Youth and Sports Day, declaring "All my hope is in the youth".
Since 1938, May 19 has been celebrated as an official holiday - Ataturk Memorial Day and Youth and Sports Day in Turkey, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Ankara, and in Turkish diplomatic missions abroad.