National Holidays in the Formation of National Consciousness: Republic Day Celebrations in Si̇vas Between 1934-1948

Abstract

Holidays are special ceremonies that enable societies to come together around common values. The Republic was declared as the result of the meaningful struggle of the Turkish nation to establish a new and independent state. Two years after its establishment, it started to be celebrated as a national holiday on April 19, 1925. Republic Days, which were initially celebrated in certain centers, were celebrated in different cities over time. In the first years of the feast, the celebrations were held with intense participation in order to ensure the legitimacy of the new regime and to adopt it to the public. The tenth anniversary of the Republic was prepared by the commission within the framework of the law of celebration, and efforts were made to carry out the same plan by committees and delegations in all cities. In this research, the Republic Day celebrations in Sivas between the years 1934-1948 were tried to be examined in the light of archives and some local newspaper news. According to the information obtained, it was seen that the celebrations were planned and carried out according to the directives of the CHP General Secretariat, and after the celebration, it was reported from the provincial secretariat. Accordingly, it has been reported that the participation in the celebrations in Sivas is high. Celebration activities; city decorations, lighting of festive firecrackers, staging of theater works, realization of sports activities, organization of lantern processions, exhibitions of public houses, establishment of public rostrums and organization of Republic balls. It is noteworthy that in some years the celebrations are prepared and maintained for three days. Key words: national consciousness, national holiday, Sivas, Republic Day

An Assessment on Early Republic Period Public Relations Activities

“…Yeni Türkiye'nin ilk bayramı olma özelliği gösteren 23 Nisan'ın ardından 1925 yılında Cumhuriyet Bayramı ve 1938 yılında Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı milli anma günleri olarak ilan edilmiştir. Bu günler de 23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı'nın mantığına uygun bir biçimde, halkın yeni Türkiye'nin benimsediği değerleri içselleştirmelerini temin etmek üzere düzenli olarak kutlanmaya başlamıştır (Gül ve Çinpolat, 2021). Böylelikle yeni Türkiye'ye ait değerler halka her sene hatırlatılmış, halkın yeni Türkiye değerleri etrafında bütünleşmesi temin edilmeye çalışılmıştır.…”