The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to commemorate Mustafa Kemal's landing at

Samsun Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...

on May 19, 1919, which is regarded as the beginning of the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

in the official

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

History

Gymnastics Festival

The first "Gymnastics Festival" (''İdman Bayramı'') was held at the sport meadow of Kadıköy İttihad Sports (Union Club until 1915) by Erkek Muallim Mektebi (Teachers' College for Boys) with personal enterprise of Selim Sirri Bey (Tarcan), who was the Inspector of the Ministry of Education of the Ottoman Empire at the time. According to some sources, it was held on May 12, 1916, as to Faik Reşit Unat, in May 1916, as to Selim Sırrı Tarcan himself, on April 29, 1916. Selim Sirri Bey had brought a score of the

Swedish folk music Swedish folk music is a genre of music based largely on folkloric collection work that began in the early 19th century in Sweden. The primary instrument of Swedish folk music is the fiddle. Another common instrument, unique to Swedish traditio ...

titled '' Tre trallande jäntor'' ("Three carolling girls") and collected by Felix Körling. This folk music became "Dağ Başını Duman Almış" anthem with Turkish lyrics written by Ali Ulvi Bey (Elöve) in 1917Seyit Kemal Karaalioğlu, ''Resimli Türk Edebiyatçılar Sözlüğü'', İnkılâp ve Aka, 1982, p. 128. and sung in this festival for the first time.

Mustafa Kemal's landing in Samsun

Fahrî Yâver-i Hazret-i Şehriyâri"Honorary Aide-de-camp to His Majesty Sultan",

Mirliva ''Mirliva'' or ''Mîr-i livâ'' was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. It corresponds to brigadier general ( modern Turkish: ''Tuğgeneral'') and division general ( modern Turkish: ''Tümgeneral'') in the modern Turkish Army. ''M ...

Mustafa Kemal Pasha Mustafa () is one of the names of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic language, Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in t ...

was assigned as the inspector of the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate on April 30, 1919, tasked to oversee the disbanding the Ottoman Army required by the

Treaty of Sèvres The Treaty of Sèvres () was a 1920 treaty signed between some of the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire, but not ratified. The treaty would have required the cession of large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, ...

, and left Istanbul with his staff aboard steamer SS Bandırma for

. After landing in Samsun on May 19, Mustafa Kemal started the

Turkish National Movement The Turkish National Movement (), also known as the Anatolian Movement (), the Nationalist Movement (), and the Kemalists (, ''Kemalciler'' or ''Kemalistler''), included political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resu ...

in contravention to his orders, an act that would lead to the

and ultimately the

proclamation of the Republic of Turkey The proclamation of the Republic of Turkey (), formally declared during a session of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 29 October 1923, established of Turkey's form of government as a republic. This was realized by a constitutional amendmen ...

in 1923. Mustafa Kemal and his staff left Samsun on May 24 for transferring their headquarters to the village of Karageçmiş in Havza district. According to Hamza Eroğlu, they sang the march ''Dağ Başını Duman Almış'' while marching from Samsun to Havza, and according to Şevket Süreyya Aydemir, they also sang this song after leaving Havza to go to

Amasya Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol ...

Atatürk's later years

With the Law No. 3466 dated June 20, 1938 and with the initiatives of Beşiktaş J.K. Founding Member Ahmet Fetgeri Aşeni, "May 19" was officialized as the ''Festival of Youth and Sports''. The march ''Dağ Başını Duman Almış'' was announced as the ''Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı Marşı'' (March of the Festival of Youth and Sports, popularly known as the ''Gençlik Marşı'').

Practice

Youths sing the national anthem, visit

Anıtkabir Anıtkabir (; ) is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and ...

, recite poems, make parades and sports and realise cultural activities like performing folk dances and play epic drama to commemorate Atatürk and his companions' beginning of the national struggle in 1919 that would lead to the establishment of the

Republic of 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 ...

, in 1923. The

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all o ...

also commemorates this day as a national holiday.Resmi Tatil Günleri
in the official website of K.K.T.C. Başbakanlık Personel Dairesi Müdürlüğü.

Atatürk's birthday

Atatürk was born in 1881. But his birth date is not known. In one of his speeches, he declared that he considers his birthday as May 19, in clear reference to the beginning of the national struggle in 1919.

Media

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* http://www.paragrapher.net/19-mayis-ataturku-anma-genclik-ve-spor-bayrami
"Turkey celebrates May 19th Youth & Sports Day", ''World Bulletin''
Tuesday, 19 May 2009 10:16 *Turgay Tuna
"Dağ Başını Duman Almış"lı Günlerden Cumhuriyetimizin 81. Yıldönümündeki Genç Kızlarımıza...
''Kimlik'', Sayı: 8, October 2004.
19 mayıs: Ata'nın 'Doğum günüm' dediği tarih...
, '' Ortadoğu'', May 19, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Commemoration Of Ataturk, Youth And Sports Day Public holidays in Turkey Remembrance days Mustafa Kemal Atatürk May observances Youth in Turkey Annual events in Turkey Youth festivals Spring (season) in Turkey Beşiktaş J.K.