IS THE NEW YEAR A HOLIDAY IN TURKEY?
New Year’s Eve is the night that connects the night of December 31 to January 1. In countries where the Gregorian calendar is used, New Year’s Day is a holiday. Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated on December 25 every year. It is seen that the days between Christmas and New Year are holidays in most countries.
In history, Turkey used the Hijri calendar for a very long time. The Hijri Calendar is also given names such as the Arabic Calendar or the Islamic Calendar. This calendar has been used for many years because the Turks believed in the religion of Islam. For information on the religious beliefs of Turks, read the articles titled “Which Religion Is Turkey” and “Is Turkey a Muslim Country“. The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar. It consists of 12 months.
1 year consists of 354 or 355 days. New Year’s Day varies as it is a moving calendar. This calendar was used for many years during the Ottoman Empire period in Turkey. In addition, public holidays in this period were on Friday. The Hijri calendar was first published by the Caliph of Islam, Hz. It was accepted during the Omar period. Prophet of Islam According to the Gregorian calendar, the year 622 was accepted as 1 in the Islamic calendar, the date when Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. Before the adoption of the Hijri calendar in Islamic culture, the naming of years was made by taking into account the important events that took place in that year. However, the Hijri calendar was adopted in 639 Gregorian.
The Ottoman Empire used the Hijri calendar as the official calendar until 1840. When it comes to 1840, a calendar called ‘Rumi Calendar’, which is a combination of the Hijri calendar and the Gregorian calendar, started to be used in the Ottoman Empire.
Today, the Gregorian Calendar is used in Turkey, like most European countries. In 1923, the Republic was declared by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the sultanate was abolished. The Ottoman Sultanate was abolished by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 1 November 1922. The Ottoman dynasty and the last emperor on the throne, Vahdettin, left Turkey on 17 November 1922. With the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, many revolutions were made in Turkey.
These revolutions, called Atatürk Revolutions, continued until 1938, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died. These revolutions also include changes in calendar, clock and measurements. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted to make his country a developed country like Western countries. Many revolutions have been made for this. The change in the calendar, clock and measures was to adapt to the measurement units in the world, especially in Europe, and thus to improve the trade and industry volume of the country. For this purpose, the Gregorian calendar was accepted as the official calendar with a law enacted on 26 December 1925 in Turkey. The Gregorian calendar has been used in Turkey since January 1, 1926. The Gregorian calendar still continues to be used.
Also, New Year’s Day is a public holiday in Turkey.
You can find information about the weekend holidays in Turkey in the article titled “When is the Weekend in Turkey“.
New Year’s Eve is celebrated by many people in Turkey. New Year’s Eve celebrations are held in famous squares in the center of big cities. Big celebrations are held every New Year’s Eve in Istanbul Taksim Square and Istiklal Street. In the capital Ankara, magnificent celebrations are seen in Kızılay Square. In İzmir, the New Year is celebrated in Konak Square and Cumhuriyet Square.
Special events are organized for New Year’s Eve in many luxury hotels, restaurants and entertainment centers in Turkey. Many people living in Turkey participate in these activities. In addition, many people come to Turkey to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Alcoholic places in Turkey are mostly full at the beginning of the year. You can find information about alcohol in Turkey in the article titled “Is Alcohol Prohibited in Turkey?” Turkey is a country that receives a large number of tourists. It is possible to have a wonderful and low cost holiday in Turkey. Read the article titled “Which Are the Best Holiday Villages in Turkey” on this subject.