Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day

19 May the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day^[1] (Turkish: 19 Mayıs Atatürk'ü Anma ve Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı) or simply Youth Day (Gençlik Bayramı), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to commemorate Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun on May 19, 1919, which is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence in the official historiography.

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),^[2] 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, in April 29, 1916.^[3] Selim Sirri Bey had brought a score of the Swedish folk music titled Tre trallande jäntor ("Three carolling girls") and collected by Felix Körling.^[4] This folk music became "Dağ Başını Duman Almış" marşı with Turkish lyrics written by Ali Ulvi Bey (Elöve) in 1917^[5] and sung in this festival for the first time.^[6]

Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun

Fahrî Yâver-i Hazret-i Şehriyâri^{[dn 1]} Mirliva Mustafa Kemal Pasha was assigned as the inspector of the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate on April 30, 1919^[7] and left Constantinople (Istanbul) with his staffs aboard steamer SS Bandırma for Samsun. After landing at Samsun on May 19, Mustafa Kemal and his staffs left there on May 24 for transferring their headquarters to the village of Karageçmiş in Havza district. According to Hamza Eroğlu, they sang "Dağ Başını Duman Almış" marşı when they were marching from Samsun to Havza,^[8] according to Şevket Süreyya Aydemir, they sang this marching song also after leaving Havza to go to Amasya.^[9]

Atatürk's later years

According to İsmet Bozdağ, his best friend Şükrü Kaya, who was the Minister of the Interior at the time, told him that:

On May 19, 1936, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk made conversation with his close friends; Şükrü Kaya, Ruşen Eşref Ünaydın, Kılıç Ali, Salih Bozok, Mehmet Seydan, Nuri Conker in the Dolmabahçe Palace. Atatürk asked them "Do you know what today is?" They replied, "the third day of the occupation of Izmir", "Ankara meeting", "Ismet Pasha telegraphed from Lausanne", "Golden Horn Conference", "Turco-British negotiations over Iraq", "Progressive Republican Party was banned" ... even Atatürk's close friends couldn't remember Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun.^[10]

Atatürk said "Let them in hell. So...this is something that, this is the liberation of country. Still they cannot find. Since after all Şükrü Kaya said "Is this day when you left Istanbul?", Atatürk said "You came closer...the day we landed at Samsun." And then Atatürk said "Actually this is the festival that you'll celebrate." Next year, "May 19" was celebrated with Şükrü Kaya's arrangement.^[10]

Until then, "May 19" wasn't given any special meaning, besides his expression "Gentlemen, I landed at Samsun on the nineteenth day of May of year 1919. This was the general state of affairs:"^{[dn 2]} in Nutuk.^[10]

With the Law No. 3466 dated June 20, 1938, "May 19" was officialized as the Festival of Youth and Sports. "Dağ Başını Duman Almış" marşı was announced as Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı Marşı (March of the Festival of Youth and Sports, Gençlik Marşı).^[11]

12 September Coup

12 September Coup in 1980

Practice

Children sing the national anthem, play sports, parade, commemorate Atatürk, and are reminded of the values of democracy^{[citation needed]} and Turkey.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also commemorates this day^[12] as it shares its culture and many of its holidays with Turkey.

Atatürk's birthday

Atatürk was born in 1881. But his birth date is not known. In one of his speeches, he declared that he feels his birthday is May 19.

See also

• Youth Day in other countries
• Public holidays in Turkey
• Public holidays in Republic of Northern Cyprus

Footnotes

1. ^ "Honorary Aide-de-camp to His Majesty Sultan"
2. ^ Turkish: "Efendiler, 1335 senesi Mayısının 19. günü Samsun'a çıktım. Vaziyet ve Manzara-i Umumiye"

Sources

1. ^ May 19 the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day in the official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.
2. ^ Mustafa Ergün, İkinci Meşrûtiyet Devrinde Eğitim Hareketleri: (1908-1914), Ocak Yayınları, 1996, ISBN 9789754220902, p. 154. (Turkish)
3. ^ Nâlân Bilge, Türkiye'de Beden Eğitimi Öğretmeninin Yetiştirilmesi, Kültür Bakanlığı, 1989, ISBN 9789751704917, p. 44. (Turkish)
4. ^ Etem Üngör, Türk Marşları, Türk Kültürünü Araştırma Enstitüsü, 1965, p. 54. (Turkish)
5. ^ Seyit Kemal Karaalioğlu, Resimli Türk Edebiyatçılar Sözlüğü, İnkılâp ve Aka, 1982, p. 128. (Turkish)
6. ^ Kudret Emiroğlu, Gündelik Hayatımızın Tarihi, Dost Kitabevi, 2001, ISBN 9789758457663, p. 498. (Turkish)
7. ^ Andrew Mango, Atatürk, John Murray, 1999, ISBN 978-0-7195-6592-2, p. 214.
8. ^ Hamza Eroğlu, Türk Devrimi Tarihi, Türk Devrim Kurumu, 1974, p. 87. (Turkish)
9. ^ Şevket Süreyya Aydemir, Tek Adam: Mustafa Kemalʾin Hayatı, Cilt 1, Remzi Kitapevi, 1967, p. 40. (Turkish)
10. ^ ^{a b c} Mustafa Armağan, "19 Mayıs'ın bilinmeyen tarihi" (Unknown history of "May 19"), Yeni Şafak, May 19, 1999. (Turkish)
11. ^ Sadi Borak, Bilinmiyen yönleriyle Atatürk, Kitapçılık Ticaret Limited Şirketi Yayınları, 1966,^{[page needed]}
12. ^ Resmi Tatil Günleri in the official website of K.K.T.C. Başbakanlık Personel Dairesi Müdürlüğü. (Turkish)

External links

• "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. (Turkish)
• 19 mayıs: Ata'nın 'Doğum günüm' dediği tarih..., Ortadoğu, May 19, 2010. (Turkish)
• Gençlik Marşı in Google Videos. (Turkish)